Growth, phytochemical profile, and antioxidant activity of cultivated tabat barito (Ficus deltoidea Jack) under drought stress

Abstract

Tabat barito (Ficus deltoidea Jack.) is one of the most important medicinal plants in Kalimantan. The growth, phytochemical profile, and antioxidant activity were assessed in Ficus deltoidea growing under four different water field capacity (FC) condition, namely: W1 (40% FC), W2 (60% FC), W3 (80% FC), and W4 (100% FC-control), and investigated for 9 months. This finding showed that the drought stress treatment reduced the plant height, leaf number, leaf area, leaf thickness, and number of branches, chlorophyll number, and the biomass. The highest value of growth parameters was observed under 100% FC-control. The leaves extract contained four secondary metabolites compounds (alkaloid, flavonoid, phenolic, and steroid), the stems extract contained seven secondary metabolites compounds (alkaloid, flavonoid, phenolic, tannin, steroid, coumarin, and carotenoids), and the fruits have five secondary metabolite compounds (alkaloid, flavonoid, phenolic, steroid, and coumarin) in all drought stress treatment. The highest TPC on the stem extract (74.07±0.001 ?g GAE/mg extract), TFC (397.44±0.007 ?g CE/mg extract) and antioxidant activity on the leaves extract (IC50 = 72.47±0.050 ?g/mL) were obtained on W1 40% FC, while the lowest TPC (3.70±0.001 ?g GAE/mg extract) and antioxidant activity (IC50 = 1238.06±0.003 ?g/mL) on the fruits extracts, TFC (146.00±0.001 ?g CE/mg extract) on the stem extract were obtained on W4 100% FC. In conclusion, the drought stress treatment (40% FC) was introduced to obtain appreciable the highest TPC, TFC and the antioxidant activity of cultivated F. deltoidea.