This study presents a comparative assessment of Fe content in Moringa oleifera leaves of different sizes collected from 5 different regions of Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. The leaves were classified as small, medium and large based on their dimensions and their Fe content was estimated using AAS. The leaf size ranged from 4cm-18 cm and maximum size was recorded for those collected from Vidyadhar nagar. Maximum Fe content was noted in small (0.83±0.01 mg/g), medium (0.91±0.07mg/g) and large (0.97±0.06mg/g) sized leaves collected from Barodia Scheme. The relative order of Fe concentration according to the regions was obtained as follows: Barodia Scheme>Sahakar Marg>Ashok Vihar>Vidyadhar Nagar>Himmat Nagar. The variation in Fe contents of leaves of different trees can be due to the variable Fe uptake which in turn can be attributed to the variability in soil composition, Fe availability in soil and habitat conditions. This study provides preliminary findings based on which a detailed study can be conducted to further identify the optimum soil, environment and harvesting conditions for maximum yield in terms of Fe content. Further, findings of the present study strongly support that M. oleifera leaves can serve as an excellent Fe supplement to cure anemic and other Fe deficient conditions.

PDF (Download Full text)

| Download Citation (XML)