GEOGRAPHIC VARIABILITY OF THE CONTENT OF ASCORBIC ACID IN PINE NEEDLES OF THE ORDINARY KRASNOYARSK KRAI
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is a potent metabolism stimulant, an activator of certain immune system reactions and one of most important antioxidants not synthesised by the human organism. Pinus sylvestris L., as an evergreen plant with a great ecological geographical range, offers the opportunity to obtain vitamin C throughout the year. Needles are organs that produce vitamin C.This paper is devoted to research on geographic variation in ascorbic acid content in needles of Pinus Sylvestris within the North-South continuum of the Krasnoyarsk Krai. A total of five Krasnoyarsk Krai geographic locations in different latitudes within the native habitat of Pinus sylvestris L. were selected. The most northerly point was Yartsevo village and Minusinsk was the most southerly location. It was revealed in the process of the research that vitamin C content increases with proceeding to the north as far as to the city of Yeniseysk.This could be explained by favourable environment of lower temperatures affecting production of the vitamin as a protective reaction of trees against cold. This makes needles of pines a quite valuable vitamin raw material for regions with insufficient availability of fresh fruit. With further increase in latitude (Yartsevo village), the content of the vitamin decreases which attests to hostile environment (eternal frost) decreasing plants' adaptive values.Provision of needles and their storage might be improved by means of correct selection of trees with consideration for their growth latitude.