Studies of UV-C Effects on Coronilla varia L. Chlorophyll and Flavonoids

Reduction in ozone layer diameter as a result of increasing amount of pollutant causes veduced absorbance of sun light UV rays by this layer. Consequently, living organisms, such as plants are damaged. Occurring photochemical changes in plants are some adaptation, defense and confronting reactions against these damages. So, studies of these changes are important in higher plants. Studing ten cultivation groups seed and field plants consist of control and UV-C treated (totally 1-20 hours) of Coronilla varia L. were prepared in equal soil and cultivation condition. All of ninety-day old plants were used for chlorophyll-metry and flavonoid studies using 2-dimentional paper and thin layer chromatography methods. Chlorophyllmetric results showed a decrease in chlorophyll content in UV-C treated plants in comparison with the control. Comparising the leaf flavonoids showed that the number and kind of leaf flavonoid changes in UV-C treated plants in comparison with the control. These changes include Loteulin and Vitexin in treated plants and absence of them in control, Kaempferol presence in the treated field plants and absence of them in the others, Chrysin in the control and absence of them in the treated plants and the disappearing of Apeginin, Isorhamnetin, Rhamnetin, Narengenin, Myricetin and Quercetin in treated field samples. It is believed that phytochemical changes consisting of flavonoids kind and number varieties are defensive reactions of plant against physiological stresses such as UV-C.