Variability in leaf mineral composition of Moringa oleifera in irrigated plains of Pakistan

Autor: Muhammad Farrakh Nawaz, Ihsan Qadir, Ghulam Yasin, Irfan Ahmad, Shazia Afzal, Sadaf Gul
Rok vydání: 2020
Předmět:
Zdroj: South African Journal of Botany. 129:442-447
ISSN: 0254-6299
DOI: 10.1016/j.sajb.2019.11.025
Popis: Food security is a global challenge and plant scientists are always keen to search for sustainable and long term solutions to meet this challenge. Moringa oleifera is a multipurpose tree that is very famous among farmers, nutritionists and physicians due to its nutrient composition. Interestingly, its leaves’ nutritional value is variable depending upon various factors such as site, climate, provenance and management practices. However, the variability of widely grown M. oleifera leaves within same ecological zone is not studied yet. The major objective of current study was to understand the variability in the mineral composition of leaves collected from widely grown M. oleifera trees in irrigated plains of Pakistan. Total 90 leave samples were collected from three distant sites (districts) with similar climate and little site variability: Kanewal, Faisalabad and Kasur. Mineral composition and proximate analysis of leave samples were conducted. Owing to management practices and genetic variability, variability in nutrient composition at three sites was observed for sodium (Na), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), nitrogen (N), organic matter and ash contents. However, no significant differences were observed for calcium (Ca), protein, fiber and moisture contents. The Na was found maximum (1.26%) in Faisalabad, K in Kasur (2.37%), Mg in Khanwal (2.58%), and N (4.11%) and organic matter (99.25%) in Khanewal. So, local factors, even within same ecological zone, are important in determining the nutrient composition of M. oleifera leaves.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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