Medicinal Plant Research 2025, Vol.15, No.1, 12-19 http://hortherbpublisher.com/index.php/mpr 12 Feature Review Open Access The Influence of Fertilization Strategy on the Active Ingredient Content and Yield of Female Motherwort Minghui Zhao, Xiazhen Huang Tropical Medicinal Plant Research Center, Hainan Institute of Tropical Agricultural Resources, Sanya, 572025, Hainan, China Corresponding author: xiazhen.huang@hitar.org Medicinal Plant Research, 2025, Vol.15, No.1 doi: 10.5376/mpr.2025.15.0002 Received: 20 Dec., 2024 Accepted: 25 Jan., 2025 Published: 05 Feb., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Zhao and Huang, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Zhao M.H., and Huang X.Z., 2025, The influence of fertilization strategy on the active ingredient content and yield of female motherwort, Medicinal Plant Research, 15(1): 12-19 (doi: 10.5376/mpr.2025.15.0002) Abstract Fertilization management is the most important approach to regulating the quality and yield of medicinal plants, particularly the cultivation management of Leonurus japonicus (young motherwort). In recent years, research on the active constituents and yield of Leonurus japonicus has developed extensively. As one of the most significant agricultural managements, fertilization has attracted extensive concern because of its influence on the secondary metabolite accumulation (e.g., alkaloids, flavonoids, polysaccharides) and plant growth. The paper briefly reviews the work of the research on the impact of fertilization measures on Leonurus japonicus' content of active ingredients and yield, particularly the regulation mechanism of different nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, etc.) for secondary metabolism and yield enhancement. In addition, the paper also makes a discussion about the impact of fertilization on soil microecology and its potential effect on the ecological environment. The findings indicate that different fertilization combinations have very disparate impacts on the active constituents and yield of Leonurus japonicus. With scientifically optimized fertilization strategies, harmonious balance between quality and yield can be achieved. More significantly, the impacts of fertilization on the microbial communities in soils create new concepts for the improvement of fertilizer application efficiency and the realization of sustainable production. This study provides a theoretical foundation for future scientific fertilization management of Leonurus japonicus cultivation and a valuable reference for high-quality development and ecologically rational production regulations in the drug plant sector. Keywords Leonurus japonicus; Fertilization strategy; Active ingredients; Yield; Soil microecology 1 Introduction Leonurus japonicus, or young motherwort, is a medicinal plant indigenous and distributed largely in East Asian countries, particularly China and Japan. As Lamiaceae, it has been known since a long time ago for its pharmacological activity and attributed features including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and cardioprotective activity (Cai et al., 2018). Alkaloids, flavonoids, and polysaccharides are among the active ingredients in Leonurus japonicus that have significant contributions to make in the drug uses. With the increased demand for high-quality medicinal plants, the focus on enhancing L. japonicus yield and quality through cultivation has increased. L. japonicus development needs to be properly managed to achieve its optimal growth and biosynthesis of its bioactive compounds. Fertilization, which is one of the most critical cultivation processes, has been identified as one of the most powerful factors influencing plant development, yield, and secondary metabolite biosynthesis (Wang et al., 2020). Recent studies have also elaborated on the soil nutrient-metabolic process interaction of active compounds to provide a foundation for precision cultivation practices. Fertilization exerts dual effects on the agriculture of medicinal plants via direct influence on biomass production and biosynthesis of active metabolites. The ratio of the major nutrients such as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) is particularly significant for metabolic processes towards the production of secondary metabolites (Zhang et al., 2019). A policy of optimal fertilization not only promotes the vegetative growth of the plants but also enhances the quality and yield of pharmacologically active constituents.
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