Salt-tolerance identification and quality evaluation of Abelmoschus manihot (L.) Medik

Abstract

Abelmoschus manihot (L.) Medik. is a medicinal and edible plant. To evaluate its suitability for cultivation on the coastal saline-alkali land in northern China for high quality functional products, salt-tolerance identification and flavonoid contents were evaluated under saline treatments. Results showed that the salt-tolerance threshold of A. manihot ranged from 4.1 to 6.9 g L−1; however, low soil salt content (<3 g L−1) had the best growth and accumulation of total flavonoids. Sixteen kinds of common functional components such as hyperoside, rutoside, and quercetin were found. Of these components, the four (myricetin-3-0-glucoside, rutoside, quercetin-3′-0-glucoside, and gossypetin-8-0-β-d-glucuronic acid) with the highest content were chosen as the quality evaluation indexes. High levels of quality and yield occurred at a soil salt content of 3 g L−1. Our results suggested that soil salt content should not exceed 3 g L−1 in field cultivation for high quality and high yield of A. manihot.