A Review on Pharmacological and Phytochemical studies towards convolvulaceae species Rivea and Ipomea

: The plants of Rivea and Ipomea are Convolvulaceae species which were identified by their funnel like flowers and radial shaped corolla.The stems of these plants are slender and creeper type.The plant of ipomea contain simple leaves.Whereas the leaves of Rivea are velvety in texture and have a shiny appearance.The fruits are like capsule, berry or nut containing only two seeds per one locule.Mostly Convolvulaceae species are eaten as a fresh leafy vegetable,which has been used traditionally for curing many ailments such as purgative,skin disease and as a blood purifier for arthritis, piles and urinary disorder.Both these plants explain the therapeutic benefits such as curing diabetes, skininfections ,snakebite, ulcer and also posses antimutagenic activities and act as a immune booster and help in the relief of respiratory congestion.On highlighting their phytochemical aspects both the plants shows the presence of flavanoids, terpenoids, poly phenols, carbohydrates, alkaloids, sterols and glycosides.As these plants is creepers,tribal people use their leafy part for their neutraceutical value.

Dual synthesis of Silver and Iron oxide nanoparticles from edible greens Amaranthus Viridis and their in vitro antioxidant activity and antimicrobial studies

Background: There is an increasing commercial demand for nanoparticles due to their wide applicability in various areas such as chemistry, catalysis, energy and medicine. Metallic nanoparticles are traditionally synthesized by wet chemical techniques where the chemicals used are quite often toxic and flammable. Objective: In the present study, we described a simple, cost effective and environmentally-friendly technique for green synthesis of silver and iron nanoparticles by using the aqueous extract of leafy vegetable Amaranthus viridis as a reducing agent. Methods: The silver and Iron nanoparticles (Av-AgNPs, Av-IONPs) were characterized by different spectral methods. The surface Plasmon resonance spectrums of Av-AgNPs, Av-IONPs were recorded at 422nm and 261nm. The Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis reveals that the Av-AgNPs, Av-IONPs are roughly spherical in shape. Energy dispersive absorption spectroscopy (EDAX) of biosynthesized Av-AgNPs, Av-IONPs indicates the reduction of silver ions to elemental silver and iron ions to elemental iron. Results: The particle size analysis of Av-AgNPs and Av-IONPs was carried out by Dynamic light scattering (DLS) method the results reveal that both Av-AgNPs and Av-IONPs were polydispered in nature. The average particle size of Av-AgNPs is 55.8 nm with a polydispered index (PI) of 0.297, similarly the average particle size of Av-IONPs is 80.6 nm with an polydispered index (PI) of 0.469. Zeta-potential of Av-AgNPs was detected at -24.6 mV and Av-IONPs were detected at 28.8 mV, the result reveals that they high stability due their high negative charge and positive charge respectively. The dual synthesized Av-AgNPs, Av-IONPs exhibits excellent antioxidant activity by DPPH, H2O2 and NO methods. DPPH was proven to be the best when compared with the other two methods. The biosynthesized Av-AgNPs, Av-IONPs proved to have very good antimicrobial activity against gram +ve and gram –ve bacteria. Conclusion: when compared with standard antibiotic. There were several reports on green synthesis of metal nanoparticles using various plant parts, but here edible leafy vegetable Amaranthus viridis was used for biosynthesis of both Av-AgNPs and Av-IONPs.

Influence of Twig Removal on Yield and Economics of Pea Varieties

The experiment was conducted at the Research field of Agronomy Division, BARI, Joydebpur, Gazipur during rabi seasons of 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 to evaluate the effects of twig removal on yield and yield attributes, and extra benefit incurred due to removal of twig as a leafy vegetable in pea varieties. Treatments consisted of three varieties such as V1=Natore local, V2 = BARI Motorshuti-1 and V3= BARI Motor-1 and five twig removal variables, viz. T1= control (no removal), T2 = removal of 5 cm twig at 25 DAE, T3= removal of 7.5 cm twig at 25 DAE, T4=removal of 10 cm twig at 35 DAE, T5= removal of 12.5 cm twig at 35 DAE. Leafy vegetable yield varied among the varieties and twig removal variables. The highest leafy vegetable yield (778 and 975 kgha-1) over the years was recorded in BARI Motorshuti-1 when 12.5 cm twig removed at 35 days after emergence which was at par with BARI Motor-1 at the same cutting time and the same length. The maximum pod yield (9.15 t ha-1 and 9.52 t ha-1) was recorded in BARI Motorshuti-1 when 5cm twig removed at 25 days after emergence (DAE), which was statistically similar to the same variety with twig removal of 7.5 cm at 25 DAE. The highest gross return (Tk. 76522.00 ha-1), gross margin (Tk.48272.00 ha-1) and BCR (2.71) was recorded in BARI Motorshuti-1 when twig removed 5 cm at 25 DAE, which was similar to the same variety with 7.5 cm twig removed at 25 DAE. The result revealed that 5-7.5 cm twig removal at 25 DAE from the tip might be a profitable technique for pea (var. BARI Motorshuti-1) production for dual purpose as vegetables and pod yield. Bangladesh Agron. J. 2021, 24(1): 37-42

Chapter 9. Leafy Vegetable Production

Chapter 9 of the Vegetable Production Handbook.

Gender differential in leafy vegetable production in Lagelu Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria

There exists gender imbalance in resource access and utilization in agricultural enterprises which predisposes women to frustration and marginalization. This study examined gender differences in leafy vegetable production in Lagelu Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria.Primary data were collected from 120 male and female leafy vegetable farmers with the aid of structured questionnaire using multi-stage sampling technique. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. The findings revealed that half (50.0%) of the male farmers had post-primary school education while less than one-third (31.0%) of the female farmers had post-primary school education.More than half (65.4%) and52.4% of the male and female farmers, respectively, had no contact with extension agents. More than half (66.7%) and majority (73.8%) of the male and female farmers, respectively financed their farm enterprise with their personal savings.It was found that labour utilization by male farmers differs significantly from the use of labour by female farmers (t=3.79, P≤0.001), while there was no significant difference in farm income among the male and female leafy vegetable farmers.It was concluded that leafy vegetable farmers differ in the modalities of their production on gender basis even though they acquire fairly the same income from the enterprise. This study recommends that the government should assist the farmers with credit of low interest rate and credit institution too should be encouraged to do so. Government should revitalize extension services and regular training of the farmers by the extension agents is crucial for farmers’ productivity.

Vegetables contamination by heavy metals and associated health risk to the population in Koka area of central Ethiopia

Contaminated soil and vegetables have continued to instigate threat to human health globally and specially in developing countries. This study was aimed to determine concentrations of certain heavy metals in soil and vegetables (cabbage and tomato) from Koka area of central Ethiopia using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrophotometer (ICP-OES). The amounts of As, Pb, Cd, Zn, Cu, Hg and Co detected in soil samples were found to surpass the reference values for agricultural soil. Similarly, the concentrations of As, Pb, Cd, Cr and Hg obtained in both tomato and cabbage samples have exceeded the recommended values with the mean levels generally ranging from 0.93–6.76, 1.80–7.26, 0.33–1.03, 0.86–5.16 and 3.23–4.36 mg/kg dry weight, respectively. The result obtained have signified that leafy vegetable has hoarded heavy metals more than non-leafy vegetable. The total hazard quote for As and Hg from tomato ingestion and for As, Hg and Co from cabbage ingestion were greater than unity, signifying potential health hazard to the public. The health index (HI) owing to tomato and cabbage ingesting were 5.44 and 14.21, respectively, signifying likely adversative health implication to the population from the ingestion of the vegetables. The Total Cancer Risk (TCR) analysis have uncovered the possible cancer hazard persuaded by Cd, Hg, As and Ni from the ingestion of both vegetables. From the outcomes this study, it can be concluded that the soil and vegetables from Koka areas are possibly contaminated with toxic metals and hence demand strict monitoring to safeguard the public around the study area and beyond.