Journal of Applied Horticulture. 2005: 7(2): 113-116

Morphological, biochemical and elemental analysis of Elaeagnus umbellata, a multipurpose wild shrub from Pakistan

Sabir, S M; Riaz, K

University College of Agriculture, Rawalakot - 12350, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan.

Elaeagnus umbellata is a native multipurpose plant from Himalayan regions of Pakistan. The berries of the plant are rich in vitamins, flavonoids, essential oil, lycopene and other bioactive compounds. To compare various populations of E. umbellata for morphology and chemical composition, five populations from different areas of district Bagh were compared using plant and fruit characters. Chemical analysis of berries showed variation in vitamin C (13.8-16.9 mg/100 g), seed oil (5.7-6.1%), oil in pulp (7.6-8.1%), reducing sugar (6.8-8.4%), non-reducing sugar (1.4-2.2%), protein (2.5-5.1%) and chlorophyll content (5.3-6.8%) in leaves, while the mineral element composition revealed high contents of potassium (175-375 ppm), sodium (20-40 ppm), calcium (70-110 ppm), magnesium (70-86.6 ppm), iron (78.5-95 ppm) and phosphorus (110-133 ppm). Significant variation in morphological characters including plant height, number of branches per plant, number and size of thorns, number of leaves, leaf area, plant canopy, stem girth, berry size and berry weight was also observed among different populations. The study established Pakistani E. umbellata berries as a good source of chemical and mineral elements. The high variation between different populations shows the potential of selecting desirable types for various defined purposes.