Planta Med 2012; 78 - PI189
DOI: 10.1055/s-0032-1320877

Seasonal changes in silicon accumulation of wild populations of horsetail (Equisetum arvense L.)

P Labun 1, D Grulova 1, I Salamon 2
  • 1Department of Ecology, Faculty of Humanities and Natural Sciences, Presov University in Presov, 01, 17th November St., SK-08116 Presov, Slovak Republic
  • 2Centre of Excellence for Animal and Human Ecology, Presov University in Presov, 01, 17
  • thNovember St., SK-08116 Presov, Slovak Republic

Horsetail (Equisetum arvense L.) is a perennial herb with segmented stem. Life cycle consist spring and summer stems. Summer stalks are 0.10 to 0.40m high, green, ribbed, branched and barren. There is an object of the collection known as Herba equiseti. Each plant species has its specific limiting borders. This border limits its compatibility or tolerance to exposure in various environmental factors habitat. Monitoring of selected species and populations was realized in the period of 2009–2011 years on three different natural locations in Laborecká vrchovina (Slovakia). Samples of horsetail (Equisetum arvense L.) were collected by destructive methods in all three locations (L1, L2 and L3). For individual collections was in the dry biomass determined silicon content by AAS. The highest content of silicon was obtained in the sixth collection, which ranged from 26.44±1.32g.kg-1 to 48.19±2.40g.kg-1. The lowest silicon content was measured at the second collections in different locations and years, from 15.25±0.76g.kg-1 to 25.16±1.25g.kg-1. The main sources for statistical variability in the accumulation of silicon were the collection, which has the largest impact.

Key words: Environmental factor, Equisetum arvense, Statistical variability, Silicon.

Acknowledgments - The work was supported by the Agency of Ministry of Education, science, research and sport of the Slovak Republic, the project: 00162–0001 (MS SR-3634/2010–11).