Environment

ANALYSIS OF ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS IN SENNA DIDYMOBOTRYA A MEDICINAL PLANT USED IN SOUTHRIFT, NYANZA AND EASTERN REGIONS OF KENYA.

Joyce Chemutai, Gilbert Ongera, and Shadrack Mule

The reported study analyzed for essential elements (K, Ca, Mg, Co, Fe, Zn) in Senna didymobotrya medicinal plant sampled from SouthRift, Nyanza and Eastern Regions in Kenya. Their concentrations in different plant partitions (leaves, stem bark, stem and roots) were detected and quantified using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES)– Model 9000 (Kyoto-Shimadzu). The results of the levels of the essential elements in the plant parts were found to be in mean range (0.07 – 2.44) ± 0.81 % for Ca, (0.31 – 1.98) ± 0.75 % for K, (0.04 – 0.377) ± 0.99 % for Mg. Co, Fe and Zn were in the range of (0.25 – 91.24) ± 2.51 mg /kg, (145.27 – 4049.65) ± 530.39 mg/kg and (1.00 – 120.29) ± 44.82 mg/kg respectively. These results confirms that s.didymobotrya from different regions accumulates the elements at the different parts of the plant with varying concentration with leaves having the highest concentrations and the barks the lowest concentrations.

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oleoerick@gmail.com

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