COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE ELEMENTAL COMPOSITION OF FERULA KYZYLKUMICA AND ZYGOPHYLLUM MACROPHYLLUM LEAVES FROM THE KYZYLKUM DESERT.
Dilyayra Utkirovna Bozorova
Institute of Botany, Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Keywords: Ferula kyzylkumica; Zygophyllum macrophyllum; Kyzylkum Desert; leaves; elemental composition; ICP-OES; aqueous extract; pH.
Abstract
This study comparatively examined the elemental composition of leaves and the acid–base properties of aqueous leaf extracts of Ferula kyzylkumica and Zygophyllum macrophyllum growing naturally in the Kyzylkum Desert. Concentrations of 20 elements in composite leaf samples were determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), and relative differences between the two species were evaluated using log₂ fold change (log₂FC). Potassium had the highest concentration among the elements examined in both species. Strontium, manganese, and nickel concentrations were higher in the Zygophyllum macrophyllum sample, whereas aluminum was more abundant in the Ferula kyzylkumica sample. In particular, the strontium concentration in Zygophyllum macrophyllum was 902.8 mg/kg, while the aluminum concentration in Ferula kyzylkumica was 3.162 mg/kg. The pH values of the aqueous leaf extracts were 7.5 and 5.5, respectively, indicating differences in their acid–base properties. These findings provide preliminary comparative analytical data on the elemental profiles and aqueous extract characteristics of the two species. Because only one composite sample per species was analyzed, the observed differences were assessed descriptively.
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