Preliminary Phytochemical Screening of Healthy and Leaf Curl Virus Infected Tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum) Leaves

Abstract

The present investigation deals with the determination of phytochemical constituents of healthy and leaf curl virus infected tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) leaves. Specimens were collected from Koraye in Zaria and transported to the Herbarium unit for proper authentication. Healthy and curl leaves of Solanum lycopersicum were washed thoroughly three times with running tap water and once with sterile distilled water, air dried at temperature on a sterile blotter. After complete drying, young leaves were pulverized. The powdered material was weighed and kept in air tight container in dark place for further extraction procedure. Extraction was done by methanol method, where 100g each of pulverized powder of both healthy and infected Solanum lycopersicum leaves was put in a cornical flask and (1000ml) of measuring cylinder was used to measure 500ml of 70% methanol. The results obtained from the qualitative phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of; Alkaloids, Flavonoids, Tanins, Cardiac glycosides, Phenols and Saponins in both healthy and infected leaves of Solanum lycopersicum and the absence of; Carbohydrates, Steroids and Anthroquinone in both healthy and infected leaves of Solanum lycopersicum. While the quantitative analysis revealed the presence of 8.2% and 3.8% Alkaloids, 49.6% and 48.2% Flavonoids, 30.6% and 19.99%, Tanins 30.6% and 19.9%, Phenols 13.6% and 7.022% Saponins 1.2% and 0.1% in both healthy and infected leaf curl of Solanum lycopersicum. Evidently, from the above investigation there are no reducing sugars in Solanum lycopersicum leaves and there are metabolites in some healthy and infected leaf curl of Solanum lycopersicum leaves.