Soil Salinity Alters Growth, Chlorophyll Content, and Secondary Metabolite Accumulation in Catharanthus roseus

Authors : Cheruth Abdul JALEEL, Beemarao SANKAR, Ramalingam SRIDHARAN, Rajaram PANNEERSELVAM

Pages : 79-83

View : 14 | Download : 10

Publication Date : 2008-12-01

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :The effect of salinity on growth, photosynthetic pigment content, and alkaloid secondary metabolite accumulation were studied in an economically important medicinal plant, Catharanthus roseus insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(L.); G. Don., under pot culture conditions. Plants were treated with different concentrations of NaCl, insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(e.g. 50 and 100 mM); 30, 45, 60, and 75 days after sowing insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(DAS);. The plants were uprooted randomly 90 DAS to analyse growth, and chlorophyll and alkaloid content. Salinity affected all the morphological parameters and decreased growth performance. At low salinity regimes, a slight decrease was noted in chlorophyll a and b, and total chlorophyll content, but under high salinity conditions a significant reduction in the content of these pigments was observed. The chlorophyll a:chlorophyll b ratio also varied significantly under salinity stress. Alkaloid content increased under saline soil conditions.
Keywords : Catharanthus roseus, growth, chlorophyll, salinity, alkaloid