Effects of water stress on antioxidant activity and phenolic contents of African nightshades and their distribution in Kisii and Siaya Counties of Kenya
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Date
2014-07-25
Authors
Odhiambo Peter Okello
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Abstract
Over the last decade, African nightshades have featured increasingly in both formal and informal
markets in different parts of Kenya. African nightshades were to be found only in the backstreets
and in a few open-air markets but since then, they have become a common occurrence in
most supermarkets, where they are sold in increasing quantities on a daily basis. However,
consumption pattern seems to change as more consumers are becoming aware of the importance
of health promoting phytochemicals with antioxidants properties present in African nightshades.
This observed upward trend in consumption has been attributed partly to the benefits construed
to accrue from their consumption. There is scantly scientific report point on the role of the
vegetables in alleviation of diseases due to their richness in antioxidants. The study aims to
characterize the different African nightshades in different agro-ecologies of Kenya (Kisii, Siaya
and Kakamega counties) and assess the effects of water stress on the relative concentration of the
antioxidants. The findings will help assign relative significance of the secondary metabolites to
abiotic factor (water) and genetic (nightshade accession). The Participatory Rural appraisal will
be employed to gather information from farmers on agronomic practices and the various African
nightshades being grown. Water stress treatments will be carried out in farmers fields in the
selected regions, however a control will be set up in a greenhouse. The treatments will be
subjected to randomized complete block design. Different methods will be used in identification
and quantification of the main phytochemicals. The researcher proposes to make use of Analysis
of variance, data analysis approach to determine the correlations between subjecting the plants of
different genotypes to water stress and the accumulation of phytochemicals in different plant
Description
QK 495 .S7O34