PHYSIOLOGICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL STUDIES ON MORINGA SPECIES IN EGYPT

Abstract

This research deals with the effect of application of the extracts of leaves and seeds powder of two Moringa species (Moringa oleifera and Moringa peregrina) on two cultivated plants, the first was sweet basil plant that treated with different concentrations of leaf extracts of the two Moringa species singly or in combination with 100 mM NaCl and the other one was wheat plant grown with defatted seed powders of the same Moringa species alone and/or cadmium acetate. Two experiments were carried out in the present investigation. The obtained can be summarized as follows: Experiment I: Effect of soil treatment with Moringa leaf extract (MLE) and/or salinity on growth characters and some metabolic activities of sweet basil plant (Ocimum basillcum). This experiment was conducted to study the effect of Moringa oleifera and Moringa peregrina leaf extracts (20%, 10%, 5% and 2.5%) alone or in combination with 100 mM NaCl on growth parameters of sweet basil plant (Ocimum basilicum L.). The two Moringa extracts were applied beginning from the second week of sweet basil growth, irrigated twice with 100 mM NaCl and/or M. oleifera or M. peregrina leaf extracts at 21 and 28 days after sowing (DAS). The water holding capacity of the soil was raised at 70 % and were sampled at 35 days for growth and metabolic analysis. Both species of Moringa leaf extracts \Summary 184 (MLE) stimulated most of the growth parameters of sweet basil plant, while NaCl significantly reduced them. Moringa leaf extracts alleviated the adverse effects of salinity on basil plant growth. The best concentration of MLE which stimulated basil growth is (10%). Basil plants irrigated with Moringa oleifera or Moringa peregrina leaf extract (10%) either alone or in combination with 100 mM NaCl were analyzed for photosynthetic and anthocyanin pigments content, carbohydrate and proline contents, lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase; SOD, catalase ; CAT, peroxidase ; POX, ascorbic acid oxidase; ASO, ascorbic acid peroxidase ; APX, polyphenol oxidase ; PPO). The inhibition induced by salinity was associated with decreases in each of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, carotenoids, anthcoyanin content, polysaccharide and total carbohydrate contents in leaves. However, significant increases in total soluble sugars in leaves, proline level in leaves and roots, lipid peroxidation (MDA) in leaves and roots, SOD, CAT, POX, APX, ASO and PPO activities in leaves and roots of sweet basil plant were observed.