MORPHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF THE ROOTS, STEMS AND LEAVES OF SOLANUM NIGRUM L. CULTIVATED ON DIFFERENT SOIL TYPES

Solanum nigrum is a wild vegetable well-known for its nutraceutical properties. This plant's proper identification is essential not only to plant scientists but to a wide range of users. A pot experiment was therefore conducted to determine the influence of sandy clay loam, silty clay loam, clay loam and loam soils on the morphology of the plant's roots, stems and leaves. Roots, stems and leaves were viewed under the Scanning Electron Microscope while the leaves were further viewed under the Light Microscope. Silty clay loam recorded the highest stomata, guard, and subsidiary cell densities on the abaxial as well as on the adaxial surface. The LM revealed the hypo-amphistomatous and anisocytic type of stomata in S. nigrum. The SEM analysis revealed the presence of different types of glandular and non-glandular trichromes on both surfaces of the leaves regardless of the soil types. The soil types did not have a significant effect on the root and stem characteristics, however, the stomata, guard and subsidiary cells were significantly affected by the soil types. The presence of trichomes is a good indicator of the ability of S. nigrum to secrete bioactive compounds for which this plant is well known.