Synergistic cross-talk of kinetin and phosphorus augments morpho-physiological parameters and alkaloid yield of Trigonella foenum-graecum

Trigonella foenum-graecum L. (Fenugreek) is an annual herbaceous plant of family Fabaceae and is consumed as a vegetable by human beings. It is used both as a spice (seeds) and as a medicinal plant. Fenugreek seed contains galactomannans, polysachharides, polyphenol compounds and about 5.5–7.5% lipids. Among unsaturated fatty acids, the dominant ones include linolenic (25.0%), linoleic (40.0%), and oleic (14.0%) acids. Kinetin a synthetic cytokinin influences diverse physiological processes in medicinal and aromatic plants including the accumulation and stimulation of secondary metabolites production. A pot experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of foliar application of kinetin alone and in combination with soil applied phosphorus on vegetative growth, photosynthetic pigments, biochemical attributes, yield and trigonelline content of fenugreek. Our results showed that treatment P40 + 10−6 M kinetin significantly enhanced the growth attributes, photosynthetic pigments, enzymatic activities, trigonelline and alkaloid yield. High Performance Liquid Chromatography was used to estimate the amount of trigonelline content in seeds. © 2018, Indian Society for Plant Physiology.