Effect of inorganic fertilizer application on the flavonoid, phenol and steroid content of the leaves of Ocimum gratissimum (L) and Gongronema latifolium (Benth).docVIP

Int. J. Med. Arom. Plants, ISSN 2249 – 4340 RESEARCH ARTICLE Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 254-262, June 2012 Effect of inorganic fertilizer application on the flavonoid, phenol and steroid content of the leaves of Ocimum gratissimum (L) and Gongronema latifolium (Benth) G.G.E. OSUAGWU*, H.O. EDEOGA Department of Plant Science and Biotechnology, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, PMB 7267 Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria Article History: Received 18 February 2012, Revised 20 April 2012, Accepted 21 April 2012. th th st Abstract: The influence of inorganic fertilizer application on the flavonoid, phenol and steroid content of the leaves of Ocimum gratissimum and Gongronema latifolium was investigated. Cultivated O. gratissimum and G. latifolium were treated with NPK (15:15:15) inorganic fertilizer at 100 kg/ha, 200 kg/ha, 300 kg/ha, 400 kg/ha and 500 kg/ha treatment levels in plastic planting buckets derived using the furrow slice method two months after seedling emergence. No ferti- lizer treatment served as control. Only one fertilizer application was made. Leaves of the plants were harvested for analy- sis one month after treatment. Inorganic fertilizer treatment did not affect the presence of flavonoids, phenols and steroids in the leaves of the plants, since both treated and untreated plants contained these phytochemicals. However, inorganic fertilizer treatment, affected the concentration of flavonoids, phenols and steroids in the leaves of the plants. There was significant increase (p 0.05) in the phenol and steroid content of the leaves of O. gratissimum and G. latifolium, but had no significant effect on the flavonoid content of the leaves of O. gratissimum, but significantly (p 0.05) increased the flavonoid content of the leaves of G. latifolium. 500 kg/ha produced the highest con