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Abstract
The effects of soil sodicity (exchangeable sodium percentage, or ESP) on the growth, alkaloid yield, and cation accumulation of two cultivars of Catharanthus roseus (Nirmal and Dhawal) was studied in a pot experiment. The leaves and stem yield of C. roseus significantly increased with an increase in soil ESP from 4.3 (control) to 16.9, but thereafter yield decreased with further increases in soil ESP. The severe leaf injury symptom from soil sodicity was exhibited in both cultivars at 32 weeks after transplanting into soil at ESP levels of 44.9 and above. Root yields of C. roseus were also significantly reduced with an increase in soil ESP. Total alkaloid yield in leaves increased with increases in soil at ESP levels of 32.0 and 16.9 for the cultivars Nirmal and Dhawal, respectively, but further increases in soil ESP the total alkaloid yield significantly decreased. The vindoline content in leaves of C. roseus significantly decreased with an increase in soil ESP. In the shoot and root tissues of C. roseus, the concentration of sodium significantly increased and that of potassium, and calcium decreased in plants grown in soil with high sodicity (ESP 44.9 and above) as compared with the control.
The authors are thankful to the director, Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Lucknow, India, for providing the required facilities and encouragement during the course of investigation.