The effect of charcoal on medicinal compounds of seeds of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) exposed to drought stress

• Published in: Industrial crops and products Vol. 131; pp. 323 - 329
• Main Authors: Bitarafan, Zahra, Asghari, Hamid Reza, Hasanloo, Tahereh, Gholami, Ahmad, Moradi, Foad, Khakimov, Bekzod, Liu, Fulai, Andreasen, Christian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.05.2019
• Subjects: Diosgenin; Drought stress; Secondary metabolites; Soil improvement; Trigonelline; Water deficiency; Diosgenin; Drought stress; Trigonelline; Soil improvement; Secondary metabolites; Water deficiency
• ISSN: 0926-6690; 1872-633X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.indcrop.2019.02.003

•Biochar affected the production of trigonelline in seeds of Fenugreek.•The effect varied between six ecotypes.•The content of diosgenin was not affected by biochar or drought.•In the field, the biochar did not affect the content of any of the two compounds. Extrinsic factors may be needed to inhibit seed yield reduction and achieve a high yield of secondary metabolites when plants are stressed. Trigonelline and diosgenin are secondary metabolites and important components in medicine and cosmetic. We assessed if charcoal made from rice husk added to the soil could alter the content of these compounds in seeds of six fenugreek ecotypes when plants were grown with and without drought stress in a greenhouse and a field in 2015. In the greenhouse, charcoal significantly affected the trigonelline content, but the response varied between the ecotypes. The ecotypes were divided into three groups based on their response to charcoal: 1. Ecotypes, in which the trigonelline content was reduced (Dezful and KhomeyniShahr); 2. Ecotype, in which the content increased (Yazd); and 3. Ecotypes, which reacted differently to the charcoal application. The third group was divided into two subgroups: a) the ecotype, where the trigonelline content increased by charcoal under drought stress but decreased under well-watered condition (Rehnan) and b) the ecotypes where the trigonelline content declined by charcoal under drought stress but increased under well-watered condition (Shushtar and Ardestan). We concluded the genetic differences need to be considered when charcoal is used as a method for altering the accumulation of secondary metabolites. However, charcoal increased the content of diosgenin in the greenhouse experiment. In the field, the charcoal did not affect the content of the two compounds probably because charcoal made up a tiny proportion of the soil volume.