Radiolytically degraded sodium alginate enhances plant growth, physiological activities and alkaloids production in Catharanthus roseus L.

Publication date: Available online 3 August 2015 Source:Journal of Radiation Research and Applied Sciences Author(s): M. Naeem, Tariq Aftab, Abid A. Ansari, Mohd Idrees, Akbar Ali, M. Masroor A. Khan, Moin Uddin, Lalit Varshney Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don (Family Apocynaceae) is a medicinal plant that produces indole alkaloids used in cancer chemotherapy. The anti-cancerous alkaloids, viz. vinblastine and vincristine, are mainly present in the leaves of C. roseus. High demand and low yield of these alkaloids in the plant has led to explore the alternative means for their production. Gamma irradiated sodium alginate (ISA) has proved as a plant growth promoting substance for various medicinal and agricultural crops. A pot culture experiment was carried out to explore the effect of ISA on plant growth, physiological activities and production of anticancer alkaloids (vinblastine and vincristine) in C. roseus at 120 and 150 days after planting (DAP). Foliar application of ISA (0, 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 mg L−1) significantly improved the performance of C. roseus. 80 mg L−1 of ISA enhanced the leaf-yield by 25.3 and 30.2% and the herbage-yield by 29.4 and 34.4% at 120 and 150 DAP, respectively, as compared to the control. The spray treatment of ISA at 80 mg L−1 improved the yield of vinblastine by 66.7 and 71.4% and of vincristine by 67.6 and 75.6% at 120 and 150 DAPS, respectively, in comparison to the control. As compared to control, the applic...
Source: Journal of Radiation Research and Applied Sciences - Category: Physics Source Type: research