Effect of terroir on the glucosinolate content of Moringa oleifera grown in three agro-ecological zones of Ghana

Abstract

Environmental factors and cultural practices significantly influence the secondary metabolites in plants, e.g., glucosinolates, depending on the cultivar of each species. The present study analyzed the influence of specific environmental factors (e.g., temperature, rainfall, and relative humidity), elevation, and fertilization (i.e., nitrogen and sulfur) on the glucosinolate content in leaves of wild-grown Moringa oleifera from three agro-ecological zones in Ghana and selected M.oleifera accessions cultivated under semi-controlled field conditions. The results showed that climate did not significantly influence total glucosinolate content in leaves of both wild-grown and cultivated accessions of M.oleifera, while elevation significantly influenced the total glucosinolate content of wild-grown plants. Fertilization had no significant impact on the total glucosinolate content of the cultivated accessions. Furthermore, wild-collected M.oleifera leaves from the three agro-ecological zones did not reveal a significant difference in their total glucosinolate content. For the cultivated accessions of M.oleifera, the agro-ecological zone, harvest time, and accession and the interactions among these factors significantly influenced the total glucosinolate content. The results suggest that selecting suitable accessions, choosing suitable locations, and applying appropriate cultivation practices could contribute to optimizing the production of health-promoting Moringa plants with special emphasis on glucosinolate content.