Growth and ursolic acid content of pearl grass (Hedyotis corymbosa) on variations in water availability

Abstract

Abstract. Anam K, Mudyantini, Rakhmawati R. 2017. Growth and ursolic acid content of pearl grass (Hedyotis corymbosa) on variations in water availability. Cell Biol Dev 1: 55-62. The purpose of this study is to determine how different water sources affect the growth and levels of ursolic acid in pearl grass (Hedyotis corymbosa (L.) Lam.). A factorial, completely randomized design (CRD) with a single factor of five replications each was used for the experiment. Water stress conditions were created by providing different levels of water availability in the growing media, namely 40, 60, 80, and 100% field capacity (control). The plants were given the treatment for 8 weeks. Plant growth, including the number of leaves, fresh and dry weight, and plant ursolic acid content, were all measured in this study. The data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA), and the DMRT test at the 5% test level was used to determine the significant difference between treatments. The results showed that the water availability treatment significantly affected the number of leaves, fresh weight, and dry weight, but it did not affect the ursolic acid content in plants. The treatment with the lowest water availability (40% KL) produced low yields on growth parameters and ursolic acid levels. Ursolic acid levels were lowest under drought stress conditions (40% KL), while they were highest under excess water conditions (100% KL).