Curcuminoids, phenolic contents and yield investigations of Curcuma longa L. accessions, grown on partially reclaimed sodic soil

Plant genotype, growing conditions, agronomic management and postharvest processing of turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) can alter the contents and combinations of phytochemicals in rhizomes. The curcuminoids [i.e., curcumin, demethoxy-curcumin, and bisdemethoxy-curcumin] are major antioxidative compounds of turmeric. In the present study, nineteen turmeric accessions were used for the investigation of their plant growth, per plant and unit area rhizome yield, total phenolic and curcuminoid contents in partially reclaimed sodic soils at Lucknow, India. The accessions showed significant variations in plant height and number of leaves at 50, 80, 110 and 145 days after planting. The fresh rhizome yield varied significantly between 5.3 to 26 t/ha, supported by almost similar variations in per plant rhizome yield (86 to 278 g/plant). NBH-5, NBH-7 and NBH-9 accessions recorded >20 t/ha fresh rhizome yield. The highest yielding accession (NBH-5) was inferior in terms of curcuminoids and total phenolic contents. The highest total curcuminoids were reported from NBH-10, which ranked fourth in terms of yield. Total phenolic content (TPC) was highest in NBH-14 which ranked sixth in rhizome yield. Among the accessions, total curcuminoids varied between 0.432–2.845 percent while TPC ranged between 13.95–29.74 mg/g.