Elemental Analysis of Medicinal Herb Fagonia indica Burm. f. and Its Rhizospheric Soil from Six Geographical Locations of South-eastern Sindh Province, Pakistan, During Spring and Summer Seasons

This study hypothesized that seasons and geography may affect the elemental composition of Fagonia indica. The plant was sampled along with rhizospheric soil, from six hilly geographical sites of Sindh, during March (Spring) and July (Summer) and analyzed through ICP-OES. Among 20 elements detected, the elemental concentration of rhizospheric soil was significantly affected by geography rather than seasons. The rhizospheric soil elements, Fe, Mg, Hg, K, Mn, Na, Zn, Al, were hyper-concentrated, B, Ba, Cr, Cu, Pb, Sr were moderately concentrated, and As, Cd, Ni, Rb, Ti, V were concentrated in trace levels. Contrarily, elements in Fagonia indica biomass were significantly affected by both seasons and geography. K, Na, Fe, Hg, Al, Mn, Sr, Cr, Ti, V were hyperaccumulated during summer, while Mg, Zn, As, Ba, Cd, and Cu accumulated higher during spring. PCA reveals that elements with high variances were homogenously distributed to all sites except Rohri during spring, while during summer most elements were accumulated at Johi, Dadu, Jamshoro, and Karachi. In conclusion, the plant accumulates high concentration of heavy metals during summer and higher concentration of essential nutrients during spring; therefore, its collection for oral use can be recommended during spring.