BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY OF SOME HERBAL PLANTS IN THE FIELD OF AGRICULTURE WITH CHEMICAL INVESTIGATION

Abstract

An experiment was conducted on biologically active substances in aqueous extracts of leaves of some herbal plants viz., bohera ( 7erminalia belirica), horitoki ( Zerminalia chebula), tulsi (Ocimum gratissmum) and arjun ( Terminalia arjuna) for each vegetable crop such as, country bean (Lablab niger), kolmishak (/mpoea aquatica), okra (Hibiscus esculentus) and borboti (Vigna unguiculata), with the attempt for chemical investigation on effective plant extract. The aqueous extract of horitoki significantly reduced and delayed germination, growth of shoot length and root length of country bean, kolmishak, and borboti seeds compared with control whereas, bohera increased and enhanced germination, growth of shoot length and root length of these same vegetable crops. The aqueous extract of horitoki showed the lowest germination were 5, 6, 5.8 and 4.77 days and minimum shoot length were 12.01, 13.13, 13.36 and 12.76 cm, and root length were 5.56, 5.91, 6.08 and 5.82 cm for country bean, okra, kolmishak and borboti seedlings respectively due to the presence of growth inhibiting substances or toxic compounds. The highest germination of country bean, okra, kolmishsak and borboti seeds were consequently 4, 5, 4.8 and 3.77 days respectively, treated with the leaves extract of bohera compared with control. The aqueous extract of bohera also significantly enhanced growth of shoot length and root length of these vegetable crops due to the presence of growth promoting substances. Shoot length were 15.63,16.2,16.43 and 15.83 cm and root lenth were 8.44,8.74,8.91 and 8.65 cm for country bean, okra, kolmishak and borboti seedlings respectively due to the presence of growth regulatory. The thin layer chromatography (TLC) examination of chloroform extract of bohera showed four distinct compounds at Hexane: Ethyl acetate (3:1, °/,) whereas, horitoki showed three distinct compounds at Hexane: Ethyl acetate (5:1, */y).