Potassium Application Enhanced Plant Growth, Mineral Composition, Proximate and Phytochemical Content in Trachyandra divaricata Kunth (Sandkool)

Abstract

Wild leafy vegetables are commonly included in the diet of people in rural homesteads. Among various wild edible vegetables in South Africa, Trachyandra divaricata (Sandkool) is one of the most abundant but underutilized due to the dearth of literature on its cultivation and nutritional value. In the present study, the effect of potassium application and pruning on growth dynamics, mineral composition, and proximate and phytochemical content in T. divaricata were evaluated. Treatments consisted of three potassium concentrations (0.0072, 0.0144, and 0.0216 M) supplemented in the form of potassium sulphate (K2SO4) with four pruning levels (unpruned, 5, 10, and 15 cm) applied in each treatment. The potassium doses were added to the nutrient solution, while the control treatment was sustained and irrigated with nutrient solution only. The results revealed a significant increase in flower bud yield, height, total dry and wet weight of shoots and roots, as well as ash and neutral detergent fibre in plants irrigated with 0.0072 M of K2SO4 without pruning. Conversely, chlorophyll content and Ca were comparable among treatments, while the highest yield of Na, P, N, and Zn was recorded in treatment 100 mL of K2SO4 with 10 cm pruning. Likewise, the highest antioxidant value (Polyphenols, Flavonol and DPPH) was obtained from plants irrigated with 0.0072 M of K2SO4 with 10 cm pruning. Based on these findings, T. divaricata is a promising leafy vegetable as a minimum dose (0.0072 M) of K with moderate pruning optimised its productivity in terms of growth, biomass parameters, nutritional content, and antioxidant potential. Due to its rich nutritional value, the plant should be domesticated and studied further for its potential nutraceutical benefits.

Interactive Effects of Salinity Stress and Irrigation Intervals on Plant Growth, Nutritional Value, and Phytochemical Content in Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L.

“…Most wild vegetables, including halophytes, have been reported to have low levels of unsaturated fats that range from 2 to 4% [21]. The amount of crude fat in the analysed samples concurs with this finding of [21] since it was lower than 3% in all tested treatments, including the control. Excessive fat in food can lead to increased cholesterol, which is a major cause of cardiovascular disorders.…”

“…This improved drought tolerance under salinity may be due to osmotic adjustment through higher Na + and proline accumulation and antioxidative enzymes [64]. Nevertheless, the leaves of ice plants subjected to both salinity and water stress possessed more polyphenols and flavonols than other promising edible halophytes in South Africa, such as Chenopodium album, Trachyandra divaricata, Trachyandra ciliata [21,[65][66][67], and Tetragonia decumbens [24,68]. This suggests that the leaves of this plant may be a good source of nutritional antioxidants.…”

“…The elemental analysis was performed using the Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometer in the analytical laboratory of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, KwaZulu Natal Province, South Africa, as described by Bulawa et al [21], to determine the mineral composition of each set of replicates in the experiment.…”

Foliar Application of Potassium Salts to Olive, with Focus on Accompanying Anions

“…Potassium plays a major role in balancing anion uptake, movement and accumulation in plants [ 1 , 28 , 29 ]. Apoplastic concentrations may range between 2 and 26 mM K [ 2 ], cytoplasmatic K values may be between 50 to 100 mM [ 30 ], and 300 to 400 mM K concentrations may be reached in guard cells when stomata are open [ 31 ].…”

Effects of N, P, K Nutrition Levels on the Growth, Flowering Attributes and Functional Components in Chrysanthemum morifolium

“…These findings were also congruent with the findings of Shah et al [27], who discovered that increasing potassium dosages resulted in an increase in the number of leaves in Zinnia elegans. Bulawa et al [28] found that potassium doses had a favorable impact on the fresh and dry weights of T. divaricate flower buds, shoots, and roots. Furthermore, the greatest dry weight of the plant was obtained by applying 150 kg•ha −1 potassuim to the Chrysanthemum coronarium cultivar [23].…”