Effects of plant age on performance of the tropical perennial fodder grass,Cenchrus ciliarisL. subjected to elevated ultraviolet‐B radiation

Abstract

• Abiotic stress, notably high ultraviolet-B (eUV-B), limit growth and productivity of many crop plants, but information on response of forage grasses to eUV-B radiation is rather limited. • The present study was therefore conducted to increase our understanding of differential age-related responses on growth, metabolism and fodder quality of Cenchrus ciliaris-3108 (Buffel grass) to elevated UV-B (eUV-B: 7.2 kJÁm À2 Áday À1). • Plant growth at both growth stages was notably reduced in response to eUV-B, except for the number of nodes and tillers at vegetative and reproductive stages. At anthesis, tillering increased due to the perennial habit of this plant, but leaf senescence reduced the number of leaves per tiller. Unlike ambient UV-B, eUV-B at the vegetative stage resulted in diversion of photosynthate for the formation of secondary metabolites (tannins and phenolics), providing dual protection from photooxidative damage and from herbivory. • The forage biomass as well as quality showed a marked decline under eUV-B and relative nutritive value was reduced at both growth stages.

Exploring the Nutritional Potential of Wild Grass Fodder for Mega Herbivore (Elephas maximus) in the Foothills of Western Ghats

“…The average ash content of the samples was 4.27%. This result is consistent with the results reported by Hamid et al [ 18 ], who stated that the values of Cenchrus ciliaris were between the range of 8.98% and 9.14%. The CP values of the grass fodder species were observed to be above the critical value of 7.5% which is reported to be required for proper digestion ( Figure 3 ).…”

“…The average TDN content of grass fodder was 77.45% ( Table 3 ). A similar result was reported by Hamid et al [ 18 ], who reported that the values were in the range of 53.14% to 63.65% TDN, which provides an assessment of the energy content of the feed. The larger the value of TDN, the more energy is condensed within feedstuff.…”

Metabolic programming of Rhododendron chrysanthum leaves following exposure to UVB irradiation

“…Peng et al (2017) concluded that the abun dance of the flavone O-glucosides might be responsible for adaptation to UVB irradiance. Plants under UV-B had an increased total flavonoid content, as Hamid et al (2020) found in Cenchrus ciliaris L., because UV-B radiation led to synthesis of key enzymes of the phenylpropanoid pathway.…”

Integrated network analyses identify MYB4R1 neofunctionalization in the UV-B adaptation of Tartary buckwheat

“…An important question is whether plants can evolve rapidly to adapt to environmental change; if not, migration or extinction may be the only options during times of environmental change ( Davis et al., 2005 ). Plants have established multiple strategies to cope with the adverse effects of UV-B radiation; these include increasing the number of branches and tillers ( Hamid et al., 2020 ), synthesizing UV-absorbing substances ( Tohge et al., 2011 ; Kaling et al., 2015 ; Tohge and Fernie, 2017 ), and altering hormone homeostasis ( Vanhaelewyn et al., 2016 ; Yang et al., 2020 ; Miao et al., 2021 ). Our studies show that flavonoid biosynthesis is most highly associated with UV-B responses and can synergistically respond to multiple types of UV-B-induced stress.…”