HPLC OF PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS, ANTIOXIDANT AND ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF BULBS FROM THREE ORNITHOGALUM SPECIES AVAILABLE IN INDIA

Objective: The aim of the study was to analyze phenolic compounds of three species of Ornithogalum viz Ornithogalum virens, Ornithogalum thyrsoides, Ornithogalum dubium and to assess their bioactivity in terms of antimicrobial and antioxidant potential.Methods: Extracts were prepared in 20% aqueous methanol. Each extract was subjected to phenolic and flavonoid estimation. Antioxidant activity was tested using DPPH method, and their antimicrobial activity was tested on six pathogenic strains namely Enterobacter cloacae, Serratia marcescens, Escherichia coli, Shigella dysenteriae, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The extracts were subjected to HPLC analysis with different standards namely gallic acid, caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid, syringic acid, sinapic acid, ferulic acid, methyl gallate, catechin, rutin, apigenin, quercetin, myricetin, and kaempherol.Results: O. dubium was found to have highest antioxidant activity (IC50 311 µg/g extract). Inhibition zone was minimum in S. marcescens and E. coli on the application of extracts of O. virens, and the consequent MIC was 670 µg and 650µg/g dry weight respectively. None of the three extracts was found to have any effect either on S. aureus or P. aeruginosa. HPLC analyses have shown that myricetin was the primary flavonoid constituent of the extract of O. dubium and gallic acid of O. virens.Conclusion: O. dubium shows maximum antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. Extracts of O. virens also shows maximum polyphenol content. From the HPLC results, it is evident that the flavonoids present in O. dubium are myricetin, rutin, p-coumaric acid along with some phenolic compounds, which confers bioactivity to the extract.Keywords: Ornithogalum, Phenolic acid, Flavonoids, HPLC, Antioxidant activity, Antimicrobial activit

An innovative approach to improve oil production and quality of mustard (\u3ci\u3eBrassica juncea\u3c/i\u3e L.) with multi-nutrient-rich polyhalite

Polyhalite popularly known as POLY4 is a multi-nutrient fertiliser containing K, S, Mg, Ca, and micronutrients. POLY4 has a low carbon footprint, is certified for organic agriculture, and has the potential to improve crop productivity and quality attributes Indian mustard which often faces challenges due to imbalanced nutrition supplied in the current fertilisation schedule. The hypothesis of the study was that the multi-nutrient fartiliser POLY4 can ensure balanced nutrition for Indian mustard. Considering this, a field experiment was conducted during the winter seasons of 2017–18 and 2018–19 to evaluate the effect of POLY4 on Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.) with respect to its yield, quality, and nutrient uptake. POLY4 along with conventional sources of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) was compared to recommended fertilisation practices from conventional sources of N, P, K namely urea, di-ammonium phosphate (DAP), and muriate of potash (KCl). With the application of POLY4, seed yield was significantly improved by about 600 kg ha-1 compared to NP control (no application of K and S) across the two seasons. Compared to recommended practice of NPK, the yield was increased by about 450 kg ha-1 with the application of POLY4. Mustard seed oil and protein percent were also improved with the use of POLY4. POLY4 did not have any adverse effect on the content of anti-nutritional factors and improved the omega-3 fatty acid content of mustard oil. Higher uptakes of macro and micronutrients in the crop were also recorded with POLY4 along with an improved soil nutrient status. From the economic point of view, it was also observed that the application of POLY4 resulted in an increment of net returns of USD 45–60 comparing cultivating mustard with the conventional N, P, K, and S fertilizers only. Therefore, the use of POLY4 as a source of multi-nutrient for balanced nutrition helped to increase the efficiency of applied nutrients which ultimately improved the yield and quality of mustard. This study exhibits the pioneer findings of polyhalite (POLY4) based balanced nutrition in Indian mustard