The influence of the growth regulators on the basic economic-valuable characteristics and the content of steroid saponins in Trigonella foenicum-graecum L. seeds
In recent years, in Russia and abroad there is a considerable interest in fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) as a source of steroid sapogenins for the production of hormonal treatment drugs. Fenugreek is cultivated as a forage and green manure culture. In medicine it is used for the treatment of eye diseases, gout and ascites, as a remedy against hypertension and as a diuretic, analgesic and antitumor agent. The seeds of fenugreek contain essential and fatty oils, alkaloids, saponins, tannins and bitter substances, mucus (30%), mineral salts, choline, sugar, starch, vitamins. Fenugreek seeds are an official drug in 8 countries, they are used in homeopathy. Fenugreek seeds collected in the phase of maturity, contain up to 1.34 % of the amount of steroidal saponins (diosgenin, tigoni, yamogenin). The raw material used to produce the drug "Pasanen", has an antisclerotic action The aim of this work is the application of the growth regulators on the plants of fenugreek in non-Chernozem zone of the Russian Federation for the increase of productivity of raw materials. In our researching we used the fenugreek seeds from the collection of the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (VILAR). It is noted that the growth stimulator epin-extra greatly affect plant growth and accumulation of green mass, and the growth stimulator zircon is better for the seed formation and content of steroidal saponins. The use of growth stimulator epin-extra and zircon can increase the yield of seeds of fenugreek to 11-15 kg/ha compared with the control, increase the yield of green mass up to 142 kg/ha. The plants of fenugreek treated with growth stimulator zircon, form seeds with a high content of steroid saponins (to 4.26% of the dry weight of seeds). Consequently, the growth stimulator is preferable for the zircon processing plants fenugreek as sources of steroidal saponins.