Seasonal Influence on Pigment Production in Nine Species of Trees and Shrubs in Linares, Northeast of Mexico

Plant pigments play an important role in plant assimilatory systems and plant growth. Large variations were observed in the contents of chlorophyll (a and b, total chlorophyll) and also in carotenoids among the nine species of trees and shrubs. The species, Guiacum angustifolium and Diospyros palmeri did not show variation, while Helietta parviflora and Bernadia myricifolia and Leucophyllum frutescens showed decrease in chl a content in summer. Ebenopsis ebano, Eysenhardtia polystachya and Leucaena leucocephala showed increase in chl a during summer, whereas an increase in chl a content was observed in Bernadia myricifolia and Leucophyllum frutescens in winter. Helietta parviflora, Guiacum angustifolium, Ebenopsis ebano, Diospyros palmeri showed decrease in chl b in summer, but Leucophyllum frutescens followed by Bernardtia myricifolia showed a larger reduction in chl b in summer. The species Ebenopsis ebano, Diospyros palmeri, Bernardtia myricifolia, Leucophyllum frutescens showed an increase in chl b content in winter. With respect to carotenoid the species also showed variable responses in two seasons, winter and summer but Guiacum angustifolium and Sargentia gregii showed negligible increase, while Ebenopsis ebano, Diospyros palmeri and Leucaena leucocephala, showed an increase in carotenoid content in summer, while Helietta parviflora, Bernardtia myricifolia and Leucophyllum frutescens showed decline in carotenoid in summer. The proportion of chl a/chl b showed variations in few species except Eysenhardtia polystachya and Bernadtia myricifolia (vey negligible) but all other species showed an increase. Therefore, Eysenhardtia polystachya and Bernadtia myricifolia could be considered to be well adapted in both winter and summer season which needs to be confirmed.