ARS | Publication request: SECONDARY METABOLITE PROFILES OF PALATABLE AND UNPALATABLE POPULATIONS OF CERATOIDES LANATA

Submitted to: Society for Range Management Meeting Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: February 13, 2002
Publication Date: February 13, 2002
Citation: LUCERO, M.E., ESTELL, R.E., ANDERSON, D.M., FREDRICKSON, E.L., HAVSTAD, K.M., REMMENGA, M. SECONDARY METABOLITE PROFILES OF PALATABLE AND UNPALATABLE POPULATIONS OF CERATOIDES LANATA. 55TH ANNUAL MEETING, SOCIETY FOR RANGE MANAGEMENT. 2002. ABSTRACT P. 86.

Technical Abstract: Ceratoides lanata var. lanata (common winterfat) is a prolific chenopod on rangelands throughout the western United States. The plant is valued by livestock producers for its nutrient content and palatability to livestock. The subspecies C. lanata var. subspinosa, native to the southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico, is reported to be unpalatable to livestock. Curiously, fenceline observations of C. lanata var. subspinosa growing north of the Chihuahuan Desert suggest its palatability varies. The availability of palatable and unpalatable phenotypes make C. lanata and C. lanata var. subspinosa useful models to use for identification of secondary compounds influencing diet selection. In this study, actively growing shoots from 10 winterfat populations (10 plants per sampling) in New Mexico, Utah, and west Texas were sampled in early, mid, and late phenological stages. Samples were separated into palatable and nonpalatable populations. Steam distillation of composite samples reveale extremely low levels of volatiles, discouraging further analysis of winterfat volatiles. Nonvolatiles were extracted in 80% ethanol and separated by liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection. Peaks which differ significantly between populations are being identified by uV and mass spectroscopy and by comparison with standards when available. Differences in chemical profiles between palatable and unpalatable winterfat populations will point to chemicals that influence diet selection among large ruminants.