The variation of carbohydrates in various species of grasses and legumes

Abstract

Qualitative and quantitative determinations were made of the available carbohydrates and the component sugars of hemicellulose in the aerial parts of a number of species of grasses and legumes cultured in the northern area of Japan. Plant materials used were leaf sheaths and stems from 25 species of grasses in the heading stage, and of 5 species of legumes at the flowering stage. The plants were found to vary in the type of storage carbohydrate contained in the aerial parts. Some species contained fructosan and sucrose, others starch and sucrose, while a few species contained very little fructosan or starch but mainly sucrose. The fructosan-storing species are members of the subfamily Festucoidea which are native to temperate or cooler climates. The species classified under subfamilies Eragrostoidea, Panicoidea, and Bambsoidea which are native to warmer climates, accumulated starch rather than fructosan. The hemicelluloses of southern grasses also contained a higher proportion of glucose relative to xylose than those of the northern grasses or subfamily Festucoidea. The plants were classified into groups according to differences in the type and relative proportion of individual carbohydrates and the results are discussed from a taxonomic point of view.