Journal of Bioprocessing & Biotechniques

Nutrient Profile of Native Woody Species and Medicinal Plants in Northeastern Mexico: A Synthesis

Abstract

Ratikanta Maiti, Humberto Gonzalez Rodriguez* and Aruna Kumari

Leaf nutrients have an important role in governing the trees growth and development of trees and are sources of nutrients for ruminants in forest. The present paper makes a synthesis of two earlier studies undertaken on macro and micronutrients of 1) 37 woody species and 2) 44 medicinal plants used traditionally of Northeastern Mexico. In the both the studies we estimated the contents of six nutrients in the leaves, three macronutrients (P, Mg, K, protein, C, N, C/N and three micronutrients (Cu, Fe, ZN) both for woody species and medicinal plants. A large variability exists in nutrient contents in woody species and medicinal plants. The species selected for the highest macronutrients and micronutrients may be utilized for confirming their physiological efficiency and probable better growth and productivity as well as good sources of macro and micronutrients for grazing wild animals. Similar to the results of woody trees, medicinal plants also exhibited a wider variability in macro and micronutrients. Based on the analysis of macro and micro nutrients the following species Phalaris canariensis, Eruca sativa, Ocimum basilicum, Tragia ramosa, Mentha piperita, Mimosa malacophylla, Acalypha monostachya, Salvia hispánica, Tillandsia usenoides, Letsea glauscens, Tagetes lucida, Erygium heterophylla, Dyssodia setifolia, Nicotiana glauca, Ruta graveolens, Olea europea, Equisetum hyemale, Rosamrinus officinalis are selected containing a majority of each of these nutrients.