Studies on chemotaxonomic properties of tomato (<i>Solanum lycopersicum</i> Linn.)

Abstract

This research investigated the chemotaxonomic properties of Solanum lycopersicum Linn belonging to Solanaceae. The annual herbaceous free branching cultivated crop grows up to 60 cm or more in height. It has simple uniseriate trichomes densely dispersed all over the plant with adaxial and abaxial foliar trichome indices of 27.19% and 19.44% respectively. The compound leaves measure up to 6±3 cm long and 4 ± 2cm wide with serrated margin. The inflorescence has a cyme of 3 to 5 flowers or more. The petals are yellowish, up to 2±1 cm long and 1.5±0.7 cm wide with greenish sepals up to 1.5±0.7 cm long and 0.7±0.3 cm wide. Flowers are axile, hexa-pentamerous up to 1 cm in diameter with bilocular 2 celled ovary. The berry fruit is greenish when unripe and reddish when ripe, up to 5 cm in diameter with seed measuring up to 0.3 cm in diameter. The epidermal studies revealed anisocytic stomata with adaxial and abaxial stomatal indices of 19.30% and 19.64% respectively. The anatomy of mid-ribs and petioles showed bicollateral vasculation. The node is unilacunar. The stem anatomical section is made of 5 to 6 vascular bundles, with petioles associated with 2 rib traces at primary growth phase while at secondary growth phase, the mid-rib and petiole revealed vascular arcs and the stem, rings of open vascular system. Alkaloids, saponins, tannins, phlobatannins, flavonoids and combined anthraquinones were present while free anthraquinones and cardiac glycosides were absent.

Keywords: Morphological, Anatomical, Cytological, Phytochemical, Studies