Evaluation Of Flavonoid Content And Antioxidant Activity Of Spinacia Oleraceae L. Using Heavy Metal And Drought As Stress Conditions

Abstract

The present study focussed on how spinach (Spinacia oleracea L) changed in terms of flavonoid concentration and antioxidant properties under drought stress and heavy metal (mercuric chloride at 1 ppm, 5 ppm, and 9 ppm) conditions. After being cultivated in coco-peat, spinach seedlings were moved into red soil that had been mixed with vermicomposting. They were then carefully exposed to various stressors. ICP-OES for heavy metal accumulation, the SpectraVue leaf spectrometer for indicators such as TVI, CCI, ADI, and FRI, and the CI-340 photosynthesis system for photosynthetic rate (PN), leaf temperature, and PAR were used to study the physiological and biochemical reactions of the plants. The DPPH radical scavenging assay (RSA) was used to assess antioxidant capability; the results showed that RSA% increased with extract concentration but decreased under stress in comparison to controls. The present study showed that the amount of chlorophyll decreased with increasing amounts of heavy metals. The findings confirmed that while drought stress had a mild impact, larger quantities of heavy metals decreased antioxidant activity, flavonoid reflectance index, and chlorophyll content. By highlighting spinach's vulnerability to abiotic stress, which impacts its growth, photosynthetic efficiency, and nutritional value, this integrated method offers important insights on crop resilience and food safety in the face of environmental difficulties.