In vitro propagation and determination of the nutrient content of naturally grown Asparagus tipularis Forssk

Abstract

Wild Asparagus (Asparagus stipularis Forssk) is a species of the Liliaceae family. Although its fresh sprouts are collected from natural habitats in early spring for human diet, it has yet to be cultivated. The present study, aimed to establish an efficient in vitro propagation system and reveal the nutritive value of A. stipularis. To our knowledge, there are no reports on the nutritive value and in vitro propagation of A. stipularis. Bud scale, spear section and apical bud explants of A. stipularis were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing various concentrations of 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and α-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA). The best results were obtained from apical bud explants on MS medium containing 2.0 mg l-1 BAP and 0.5 mg l-1 NAA. In terms of nutritive value, it was found that the nitrogen content of A. stipularis was higher than the other macro elements. Although Zn- and Fe-containing compounds were higher in A. stipularis, Ca-containing compounds were lower than in other Asparagus species. It was determined that the portions of unprocessed A. stipularis had pH 7.6, 13.3% soluble solid content, 86.7% moisture, 0.09% titratable acidity and were about 31% ascorbic acid. We conclude that in terms of nutritional value, A. stipularis can be a good alternative to other Asparagus species for human nutrition, considering its high N, Fe and vitamin C contents.

Keywords

• Asparagus stipularis
• in vitro culture
• nutrition
• nutrition analysis