Effect of terroir on the glucosinolate content of Moringa oleifera grown in three agro-ecological zones of Ghana

Authors

  • Olivia Naa Ayorkor Tetteh Division Urban Plant Ecophysiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany
  • Susanne Huyskens-Keil Division Urban Plant Ecophysiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany
  • Newton Kwaku Amaglo Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8447-3256
  • Francis Kweku Amagloh Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, University for Development Studies, Nyankpala Campus, Tamale, Ghana https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7243-0972
  • Ibok Nsa Oduro Department of Food Science and Technology, College of Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
  • Charles Adarkwah Department of Horticulture and Crop Production, School of Agriculture and Technology, University of Energy and Natural Resources, Sunyani, Ghana https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4619-2434
  • Daniel Obeng-Ofori Department of Horticulture and Crop Production, School of Agriculture and Technology, University of Energy and Natural Resources, Sunyani, Ghana
  • Christian Ulrichs Division Urban Plant Ecophysiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6733-3366
  • Nadja Förster Division Urban Plant Ecophysiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9732-8939

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5073/JABFQ.2021.094.010

Abstract

Environmental factors and cultural practices significantly influence the secondary metabolites in plants, e.g., glucosinolates, depending on the cultivar of each species. The present study analyzed the influence of specific environmental factors (e.g., temperature, rainfall, and relative humidity), elevation, and fertilization (i.e., nitrogen and sulfur) on the glucosinolate content in leaves of wild-grown Moringa oleifera from three agro-ecological zones in Ghana and selected M.oleifera accessions cultivated under semi-controlled field conditions.

The results showed that climate did not significantly influence total glucosinolate content in leaves of both wild-grown and cultivated accessions of M.oleifera, while elevation significantly influenced the total glucosinolate content of wild-grown plants. Fertilization had no significant impact on the total glucosinolate content of the cultivated accessions. Furthermore, wild-collected M.oleifera leaves from the three agro-ecological zones did not reveal a significant difference in their total glucosinolate content. For the cultivated accessions of M.oleifera, the agro-ecological zone, harvest time, and accession and the interactions among these factors significantly influenced the total glucosinolate content.

The results suggest that selecting suitable accessions, choosing suitable locations, and applying appropriate cultivation practices could contribute to optimizing the production of health-promoting Moringa plants with special emphasis on glucosinolate content.

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Published

2021-05-12

Issue

Vol. 94 (2021): Journal of Applied Botany and Food Quality

Section

Plant stress and tolerance

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