Comparison of Carotenoids Content in Different Turfgrass Species

The carotenoid content and composition of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.),Kentucky bluegrass(Poa pratensis L.)and mondo grass(Ophiopogon bodinieri Levl.) in full sunlight were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography with an end capped Waters Spherisorb ODS-2 column.The abundance order of carotenoids was lutein,β-carotene,violaxanthin,and neoxanthin.The carotenoid was expressed as a percentage of total carotenoids instead of on the chlorophyll basis to better indicate the difference among species because the difference might be masked by the differences of carotenoid/chlorophyll ratio among species.There was no significant difference in neoxanthin and β-carotene contents among the three turfgrass species.The relative levels of lutein and xanthophyll pool(violaxanthin,antheraxanthin and zeaxanthin) were found to be strongly negatively correlated.While the ratio of lutein to xanthophyll pool was highest in O.bodinieri,no remarkable difference was found between F.arundinacea and P.pratensis.The ratio of β-Carotene plus its derivates(xanthophyll pool and neoxanthin) to α-Carotene plus its derivates(lutein) was found to be markedly different among three turfgrass species,with the ratio highest in P.pratensis and lowest in O.bodinieri.