STRUCTURAL EFFECTS INDUCED BY CULTIVATION CONDITIONS IN Momordica charantia L. PLANTS

Momordica charantia L. (Cucurbitaceae), a nutraceutical plant, was acclimatized in Romania in 1990. It is cultivated in the greenhouses of S.C. HOFIGAL Import Export S.A., Romania, both in classical conditions, for commercial purposes, and in various experimental conditions, for increasing the medicinal value and the productivity of the taxon. The present study refers to the Momordica charantia plants, grown in experimental conditions, in soil enriched with porous ceramic granules and aims to identify beneficial structural changes that favor their better development. The histo-anatomical observations concerned the organization of the stem, petiole, leaf lamina and tendrils. The structural characteristics were compared to those of plants grown in the absence of ceramic granules. Our results highlight dimensional increases in the vegetative organs of plants cultivated in the presence of ceramic granules, significantly higher development of conductive tissues, assimilating tissue, stomatal index and foliar cystoliths, beneficial changes for plant growth and development.