Abstract:
Alkaloids, nitrogen
containing basic substance, have a complex
structure. They are one of the most
important groups of secondary metabolites,
which is synthesized in roots and
transported to other organs. Since alkaloids
are nitrogenous compounds, the availability
of nitrogen is expected to play an important
role in the biosynthesis and accumulation of
alkaloids in plants. Nitrogen affects yield
and quality of medicinal plants, therefore,
growers usually apply large amount of
nitrogen to obtain high yields. The objective
of the present study was to determine yield,
yield components and alkaloid content of
two henbane species (Hyoscyamus
reticulatus L. and Hyoscyamus niger L.),
collected from wild flora of South-eastern
Anatolia, grown under four nitrogen
applications (0, 50, 100 and 200 kg ha-1), in
2010-2011 growing seasons. In the field
trial, plant height, stem diameter, number of
branches per plant, number of capsule per
plant, capsule width, capsule length, number
of seed per capsule, 1000 seed weight, seed
yield per plant and total alkaloid content
were investigated. The results of study
showed that nitrogen doses were found
important for investigated characters but not
important for Hyoscyamus species. Seed
yield per plant varied from 8.4 to 11.6 g per
plant, their alkaloid contents were found
between 0.14% and 0.21%.
