Effect of Alginite in the Form of ALGEXr 6 Preparation on the Biomass Formation and Antioxidant Activity of Some Medicinal Plants

Abstract

The aim of the research is to determine the effect of application of the developed product (extract) called ALGEX r 6 from natural mineral rock alginite in two different watering periods on the formation of root biomass and aboveground plant biomass of a selected group of medicinal plants (Melissa officinalis L., Malva verticillata L. and Ocimum × citriodorum Vis.) and determining the antioxidant activity in dried leaves and whole plants in aqueous and methyl alcohol extracts by DPPH method. The experiment was established in the Botanical Garden at the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra throughout 2020. ALGEX r 6 was prepared by a research team at the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra in the form of an extract from the natural mineral rock alginite with an application of thermal and chemical treatment. In the experiment, ALGEX r 6 was applied in the form of a watering in two variants with the same concentration of 3 % solution in 2 decilitres of water, but various application in terms of days in the pre-harvest stage of the above-ground plant biomass of 30 individual plants from each species. There are two diametrically opposite trends of ALGEX r 6 application that are manifesting themselves in M. officinalis and M. verticillata by reducing the root and above-ground part biomass compared to the control variant. The percentage proportionality of root/ above-ground part biomass in M. officinalis decreased from 62.48/30.31 % (control), to 45.57/18.85 % (variant 1) and to 36.07/17.27 % (variant 2), as well as in M. verticillata the root/above-ground part biomass decreased from 16.03/13.93 % (control), to 14.97/9.42 % (variant 1) and to 11.61/10.14 % (variant 2). In the species Ocimum × citriodorum Vis. the opposite trend manifested. The application of ALGEX r 6 watering resulted in increasing the antioxidant activity on the tested plant parts, especially in aqueous extracts in M. officinalis (from 19.30/control to 33.61 %/variant 1, 2), also in O. citriodorum (from 26.56/control to 44.16 %/variant 1), while in methyl alcohol extracts, the antioxidant activity showed a slight increase in all tested species.

Influence of Application Forms of Alginite on Phytomass Formation, Bioactive Contents and Antioxidant Activity of Extracts from Plants Rosmarinus officinalis L.

“…The effect of alginite on the contents contained in Lamiaceae plants was investigated by Plichta (2016), Horný (2017), Citrjáková (2019), Eftimova et al (2021), Gnipova (2021), Horčinová Sedláčková et al (2021 and Janovská (2021). Their results confirm our conclusions that alginite is beneficial for plants, which is manifested by an increase in aboveground mass and an increase in the contents of the plant.…”

Biological Effects of Alginite on Tomato Plants (Lycopersicon esculentum) and Some Insects (Leptinotarsa decemlineata, Galleria mellonella and Halyomorpha halys)

“…In the species Ocimum × citriodorum Vis. the opposite trend manifested(Horčinová Sedláčková et al, 2021).…”

“…Monitoring of plant height showed that a month after the first seedlings emergence the average of plant height was significantly higher in the variant 0.001 % alginite solution and reached to 11.41 cm (LSD 0.05 = 2.63, p ≤0.05). The plant heights in other tested variants were at the control level (8.21 cm) (Figure2).In the experiment, ALGEX r 6 was applied by HorčinováSedláčková et al (2021) in the form of a watering in two variants with the same concentration of 3 % solution in 2 deciliters of water, but various application in terms of days in the pre-harvest stage of the aboveground plant biomass of 30 individual plants from each species. There are two diametrically opposite trends of ALGEX r 6 application that are manifesting themselves in Melissa officinalis and Malva verticillata by reducing the root and above-ground part biomass compared to the control variant.…”

Active effects of less known bituminous rock alginite on the biological processes of Solanum lycopersicum L.

“…The exploitation of alginite from the deposit is only in the beginning stage. Nevertheless, alginite has become an important research object even in the conditions of Slovakia at the Geocomplex research workplace [12,9,10,5] , University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmaceuticals in Košice, [13,16], Technical University of Zvolen [6,3], National Agriculture and Food Centre -Soil Science and Conservation Research Institute [2]; State Geological Institute of Dionýz Štúr [1]. Natural and modified alginite has unique effects on plants, animal organisms, soil, water and solving other current environmental problems [5].…”