DIFFERENCES IN SESBANIA SESBAN ACCESSIONS IN RELATION TO THEIR PHENOLIC CONCENTRATION AND HPLC FINGERPRINTS

Phenolic concentration in the leaves from 103 different accessions of Sesbania sesban (L) Merr was determined and HPLC was used to analyse t he extractable phenolics. The chromatograms were subjected to cluster analysis. Large variation was observed between accessions in the solub le phenolic and insoluble proanthocyanidin concentrations. The study f urther showed that the accessions could be grouped on the basis of the ir HPLC fingerprints. The results suggest that quantitative and qualit ative selection for polyphenolics is possible. This type of informatio n is relevant to future programs aimed at the improvement of the nutri tive value in Sesbania sesban.