Physical and chemical properties of edamame during bean development and application of spectroscopy-based machine learning methods to predict optimal harvest time

This study aims to investigate the changes in physical and chemical properties of edamame during bean development and apply a spectroscopy-based machine learning (ML) technique to determine optimal harvest time. The edamame harvested at R5 (beginning seed), R6 (full seed), and R7 (beginning maturity) growth stages were characterized for physical and chemical properties, and pods were measured for spectral reflectance (360-740 nm) using a handheld spectrophotometer. The samples were categorized into 'early', 'ready', and 'late' based on the characterized properties. The results showed that pod/bean weight and pod thickness peaked at R6 and remained stable thereafter. Sugar, starch, alanine, and glycine also peaked at R6 but proceeded to decline. The ML method (random forest classification) using pods' spectral reflectance had a high accuracy of 0.95 for classifying 'early' and 'late' samples and 0.87 for classifying 'early' and 'ready' samples. Therefore, this method can determine the optimal harvest time of edamame.

Nematocidal activity of hydroalcoholic extracts of spent substrate of Pleurotus djamor on L3 larvae of Haemonchus contortus

The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the in vitro lethal effect of the hydroalcoholic extract of the spent substrate of Pleurotus djamor ECS-123, obtained at 15 days of colonization (SPS) and at the first (SPS1) and second (SPS2) harvests, against infective larvae L₃ of Haemonchus contortus. The in vitro lethal effect was evaluated by the L₃ larval mortality test (LM) using six concentrations: 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, 20, and 40 mg/mL, with ivermectin and thiabendazole (5 mg/mL) as controls. The first harvest extract (SPS1) of strain ECS-123 was subjected to liquid-liquid bipartition, which resulted in two fractions: aqueous (PdAcO) and ethyl acetate (PdAct). The chemical fractionation of PdAct with the highest mortality rate (80.11 %) was carried out with open-column chromatography, giving a total of 13 fractions, which were analyzed by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and grouped into 5 mixtures (R1;1-3, R2;4-7, R3;8-9, R4;10-11 and R5;12-13). Subsequently, the mixtures were evaluated against H. contortus L₃ larvae. Finally, the components of the mixtures with the highest nematocidal effects were evaluated by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The data were analyzed with a completely randomized design through ANOVA using the generalized linear model (GLM) with the "R" program. The purification and characterization of R4 and R5 by GC-MS revealed the presence of the following compounds: veratryl alcohol, 4-hydroxy-3,5,5 trimethyl-4-[3-oxo-1-butenyl]-2- cyclohexen-1-one, caffeine and 5,6-dimethoxy-1(3 H) isobenzofuranone. This information allowed for the identification of nematocidal compounds in the degraded substrate of P. djamor, an activity that had not been reported previously.

Assessing wetland nitrogen removal and reed (Phragmites australis) nutrient responses for the selection of optimal harvest time

Wetlands play an important role in reducing the impact of nitrogen pollution on natural aquatic environments. However, during the plant wilting period (winter) there will inevitably be a reduction in nitrogen removal from wetlands. Understanding optimum harvest time will allow the use of management practices to balance the trade-off between nitrogen removal and the sustainability of wetlands. In this study, we investigated wetland nitrogen removal and reed (Phragmites australis) nutrient responses for two years [first year: influent total nitrogen (TN) 17.6-34.7 mg L^-1; second year: influent TN 3.2-10.0 mg L^-1] to identify the optimal harvest time: before wilting, mid-wilting, or late wilting. Harvesting decreased wetland nitrogen removal in both years, with later harvest time producing a smaller decrease in TN and ammonium-nitrogen (NH₄⁺-N) removal. In addition to harvest before wilting, aboveground reed harvest at mid-wilting harvested more nutrients [carbon (C) 7.9%, nitrogen (N) 46.6% and phosphorus (P) 43.6%] in the first year, while harvest at late wilting harvested more nutrients (C 4.9%, N 7.8% and P 24.1%) in the second year, although this was not statistically significant. The late wilting harvest caused fewer disturbances to root stoichiometric homeostasis in the first year, while mid-wilting harvest promoted root nutrient availability in the second year. In addition, redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that root stoichiometry was interrelated with wetland nitrogen removal. Our results suggest that optimal harvest time was late wilting on the basis of wetland nitrogen removal, or either mid- or late wilting according to reed nutrient response to influent nitrogen concentration in some years. Our results provide crucial information for winter wetlands management.

Effects of harvest time and desalination of feedstock on Spartina alterniflora biochar and its efficiency for Cd2+ removal from aqueous solution

Cadmium (Cd²⁺), as the primary contaminant in Chinese soils, is dangerous to human health and ecological security. Invasive plant Spartina alterniflora in Chinese coastal wetlands presents a promising feedstock for biochar, which is an efficient adsorbent for heavy metal removal. S. alterniflora harvested in summer, autumn and winter were pyrolyzed to produce biochars. We analyzed the effects of harvest time and desalination of feedstock on biochar properties and Cd²⁺ adsorption capacity in aqueous solution. Biochars were characterized by pH probe, elemental analyzer, SEM, BJH, BET, and FTIR, and the Cd²⁺ concentrations were measured using AAS. Except pH (9.85-10.95) and nitrogen contents (0.71-1.59%), other biochar properties had no linear correlations with harvest time. Biochars produced from feedstock harvested in autumn had the highest carbon contents (73.25%) and lowest functional groups diversity (CC and -CH_x). The pH and carbon contents (64.44-73.25%) were increased by desalination treatment. The surface area (0.48-2.27 m²/g), total pore volume (0.0015-0.0055 mL/g), mesopore volume (0.0015-0.0052 mL/g), and Cd²⁺ adsorption capacities (16.29-32.34 mg/g) were affected by desalination treatment, and the effects varied with harvest time. Biochars produced from desalted feedstock harvested in summer and untreated feedstock harvested in winter showed higher surface area, porosity, and Cd²⁺ adsorption capacity. Moderate salt contents (1.5-3.0% in chloride content) in feedstock promote the formation of biochars with higher surface area and porosity.

Antibacterial and in vitro antidementia effects of aronia (Aronia melanocarpa) leaf extracts

This study investigated the antibacterial and in vitro antidementia effects of aronia (Aronia melanocarpa) leaf extracts from 3 cultivars (Nero, Viking, and McKenzie) collected at three different stages of maturity (young, harvest, and old). Bacillus cereus was susceptible to the old leaves of cultivars McKenzie and Nero, whereas Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella Typhimurium, and Listeria innocua were not inhibited by any of the extracts. Growth of B. cereus was inhibited by cv. McKenzie, resulting in increased lag time, whereas Nero had both an inhibitory and an inactivation effect. Except for cv. Viking at harvest stage, the acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase inhibitory activity of aronia leaf extracts were about 60-70 and 70-80%, respectively. Therefore, aronia leaf is a natural resource with a potentially potent antidementia effect, besides antibacterial activity.

Prevalence and variation of viviparous germination with respect to fruit maturation in the bottle gourd Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) Standley (Cucurbitaceae)

Researches documenting comprehensively the prevalence of seed vivipary in relation to phenology, as well as its impact on production are scant. This article reports the results of investigations carried out during four cropping seasons to quantitatively document seed vivipary in the oleaginous bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria). Field experiments were conducted during the first and second cropping season of 2014 and 2015 at the experimental station of Nangui Abrogoua University (Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire). The assessment of the prevalence of seed vivipary was carried out using 185 L. siceraria accessions collected in different ecological zones of Côte d'Ivoire. To examine the influence of fruit maturation time on seed vivipary, four accessions (two viviparous and two non-viviparous) were cropped and harvested at 30 and 50 days after fertilization (DAF), complete whiteness of plants (CPW) and after 60 days of storage of fruits harvested on plants completely withered (CPWS). Finally, a comparative analysis of seed yield and its main components was conducted using four accessions including two highly viviparous and two non-viviparous. The results on seed vivipary prevalence showed that the oleaginous form of L. siceraria is highly susceptible and allowed the classification of the 185 accessions analyzed into three groups: non-viviparous (2.16%), viviparous (89.19%) and highly viviparous accessions (8.65%). No precocious seed germination was observed in non-viviparous accessions during fruit maturation stage. The fruits of highly viviparous accessions harvested at 30 DAF showed no precocious seed germination while 3.35–17.89% of fruits bearing viviparous seed were observed at 50 DAF. Plants from highly viviparous fruits showed significantly low yields compared those from non-viviparous fruits. These results suggested that an efficient control of seed vivipary allowing a quantitative and qualitative improvement of yield in the oilseed bottle gourd can be ensured by the selection of vivipary-tolerant genotypes and appropriate planning of the harvest time.

Microarray analysis of transcriptional responses to salt and drought stress in Arabidopsis thaliana

Microarray expression profile analysis is a useful approach to increase our knowledge about genes involved in regulatory networks and signal transduction pathways related to abiotic stress tolerance. Salt and drought, as two important abiotic stresses, adversely affect plant productivity in the world every year. To understand stress response mechanisms and identify genes and proteins which play critical roles in these mechanisms, the study of individual genes and proteins cannot be considered as an effective approach. On the other hand, the availability of new global data provides us an effective way to shed some light on the central role of molecules involved in stress response mechanisms in the plant. A meta-analysis of salt and drought stress responses was carried out using 38 samples of different experiments from leaves and roots of Arabidopsis plants exposed to drought and salt stresses. We figured out the number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) was higher in roots under both stresses. Also, we found that the number of common DEGs under both stresses was more in roots and also the number of common DEGs in both tissues under salt stress was more than drought stress. The highest percent of DEGs was related to cell and cell part (about 87%). Around 9% and 7% of DEGs in roots and leaves encoded transcription factors, respectively. Network analysis revealed that three transcription factor families HSF, AP2/ERF and C2H2, may have critical roles in salt and drought stress response mechanisms in Arabidopsis ​and some proteins like STZ may be introduced as a new candidate gene for enhancing salt and drought tolerance in crop plants.

The effect of harvest time and varieties on total phenolics, antioxidant activity and phenolic compounds of olive fruit and leaves

The effect of harvest periods on total phenol, antioxidant activity, individual phenolic compounds of fruit and leaves of Tavşan Yüreği, Memecik, Edremit, Ayvalık and Gemlik olive varieties grown in Turkey were investigated. The highest total phenol (317.70 mg/100 g and 2657.81 mg/100 g) were observed in Tavşan Yüreği olive fruit and Ayvalık leaves harvested in December, respectively. The highest antioxidant activities (83.84%) were determined in Edremit fruit harvested in August and 83.33% in either Edremit olive leaves harvested in November and Tavşan Yüreği leaves harvested in December. The olive fruit contained gallic acid ranging from 7.18 mg/100 g (August) to 35.85 mg/100 g (December) in case of Ayvalık and 2.09 mg/100 g (November) to 21.62 mg/100 g (December) in Edremit. Gemlik olives showed higher gallic acid contents compared to the other varieties, however it depended significantly on harvest time in all cases. 3,4-Dihydroxybenzoic acid contents ranged from 33.11 mg/100 g (October) to 25.17 mg/100 g (September) in Memecik olives; 12.17 mg/100 g (August) to 33.11 mg/100 g (December) in case of Tavşan Yüreği olives depending on harvest time. The 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid contents of Memecik leaves ranged between 122.25 mg/100 g (September) to 196.58 mg/100 g (August) and that of Tavşan Yüreği leaves changed between 99.38 mg/100 g (November) and 179.90 mg/100 g (August). The leaves of these two varieties contained significantly (p < 0.01) higher 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid contents than other varieties. The highest gallic acid (144.83 mg/100 g) was detected in Memecik leaves (September) whereas lowest were found in Gemlik leaves collected in October.

Phenolic compositions and antioxidant properties of leaves of eight persimmon varieties harvested in different periods

The compositions and contents of antioxidant components and antioxidant attributes (scavenging DPPH radicals, TEAC, ferric reducing power and inhibiting Cu²⁺-induced human LDL oxidation) for the leaves of eight persimmon varieties harvested from Sep. to Nov. were determined. Harvest time and variety were important factors affecting the compositions and contents of phenolic compounds in persimmon leaves; moreover, phenolic contents (polyphenol, flavonoid, condensed tannin and phenolic acid) of the leaves were significantly correlated with their antioxidant activities. For each variety, the leaves harvested in months with higher temperature, solar radiation and sunshine duration had higher phenolic contents contributing to better antioxidant properties (ranking: Sep. > Oct. > Nov.). In addition, the compositions and contents of phenolic components and antioxidant capacities for the leaves from various persimmon varieties were also different. The leaves of persimmon varieties belonging to pollination constant and astringent (PCA) had higher phenolic contents and also presented better antioxidant effects.

Influence of harvest stage on the pharmacological effect of Angelica dahurica

BACKGROUND

Baizhi (Angelica dahurica) has been widely used as a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, functional food and cosmetic product ingredient, mostly because of the high furanocoumarin compounds in roots. The cropping system of Baizhi with its unique summer dormancy feature, is easily affected by the transition of its growth stages. The aim of this study was to analyze the quantity (size, form and dry weight [DW]) and quality (antioxidant and furanocoumarin content) of taproot and lateral root from three growth stages of Baizhi; vegetative (V-stage), summer dormancy (S-stage) and bolting stage (B-stage).

RESULTS

Root length and diameter were lower at V-stage than the other two stages, and S-stage had higher lateral root to total root ratio. However, the highest root DW was observed at S-stage. Antioxidant activity was revealed by 2,2-diphenyl-L-picrylhydrazyl and Fe²⁺ chelating assay, and the content of six furanocoumarin compounds, including xanthotoxin, bergapten, oxypeucedanin, imperatorin, phellopterin and isoimperatorin, was analyzed by liquid chromatography. Although the antioxidant activity was less at S-stage than the other stages, furanocoumarin contents showed little variation.

CONCLUSION

Considering the high DW and stable furanocoumarin composition, S-stage is the best harvest stage than the other stages because of its richer total pharmacological content.

Effect of harvest time on physico-chemical properties and bioactive compounds of pulp and seeds of grape varieties

In this study, physicochemical properties and bioactive compounds of three grape varieties (Cardinal, Müşküle and Razaki) harvested at the three different harvest times (on time, one and two weeks earlier) were investigated. The highest antioxidant activity, total phenolic and flavonoid contents were observed in Razaki pulp and these were 82.854%, 127.422 mg/100 g, 3.873 mg/g, respectively. The contents of bioactive compounds in grape seeds were found higher than those in pulps. Similarly, seed of Razaki had higher antioxidant activity (91.267%) and total phenolic content (477.500 mg/100 g) when compared to results of other varieties. The key phenolic compounds of all grape variety and seeds were gallic acid, 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid, (+)-catechin ve 1,2-dihydroxybenzene. The oil content of grape seeds ranged from 8.50% (Razaki harvested one week ago) to 19.024% (Müşküle harvested one week ago). The main fatty acids of grapeseed oils were linoleic, oleic and palmitic acids. In addition, the oil of Razaki seeds was rich in tocopherols when compared to the other varieties.

Metabolomics approach reveals annual metabolic variation in roots of Cyathula officinalis Kuan based on gas chromatography-mass spectrum

BACKGROUND

Herbal quality is strongly influenced by harvest time. It is therefore one of crucial factors that should be well respected by herbal producers when optimizing cultivation techniques, so that to obtain herbal products of high quality. In this work, we paid attention on one of common used Chinese herbals, Cyathula officinalis Kuan. According to previous studies, its quality may be related with growth years because of the variation of several main bioactive components in different growth years. However, information about the whole chemical composition is still scarce, which may jointly determine the herbal quality.

METHODS

Cyathula officinalis samples were collected in 1-4 growth years after sowing. To obtain a global insight on chemical profile of herbs, we applied a metabolomics approach based on gas chromatography-mass spectrum. Analysis of variance, principal component analysis, partial least squares discriminant analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis were combined to explore the significant difference in different growth years.

RESULTS

166 metabolites were identified by using gas chromatography-mass spectrum method. 63 metabolites showed significant change in different growth years in terms of analysis of variance. Those metabolites then were grouped into 4 classes by hierarchical cluster analysis, characterizing the samples of different growth ages. Samples harvested in the earliest years (1-2) were obviously differ with the latest years (3-4) as reported by principal component analysis. Further, partial least squares discriminant analysis revealed the detail difference in each growth year. Gluconic acid, xylitol, glutaric acid, pipecolinic acid, ribonic acid, mannose, oxalic acid, digalacturonic acid, lactic acid, 2-deoxyerythritol, acetol, 3-hydroxybutyric acid, citramalic acid, N-carbamylglutamate, and cellobiose are the main 15 discrimination metabolites between different growth years.

CONCLUSION

Harvest time should be well considered when producing C. officinalis. In order to boost the consistency of herbal quality, C. officinalis is recommended to harvest in 4th growth year. The method of GC-MS combined with multivariate analysis was a powerful tool to evaluate the herbal quality.

Application of benchtop and portable near-infrared spectrometers for predicting the optimum harvest time of Verbena officinalis

This study examined the applicability of near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy coupled with multivariate data analysis (MVA) to determine the ideal harvest time of Verbena officinalis. NIR analyses were performed non-invasively on the fresh plant material based on the quantification of the key constituents verbenalin and verbascoside. Vibrational spectroscopic measurements were performed applying a conventional NIR benchtop device as well as a laboratory independent handheld NIR spectrometer. A novel high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was applied as a reference method. For both instruments partial least squares (PLS) regression models were established performing cross validations (CV) and test-set validations (TSV). Quality parameters obtained for the benchtop device revealed that the newly established NIR method enabled reliable quantifications of the main compounds verbenalin and verbascoside related to the dried and fresh plant material. The results of the miniaturised spectrometer revealed that accurate quantitative calibration models could be developed for verbascoside achieving a comparable prediction power to the benchtop device. PLS models for verbenalin were less precise suggesting the application of portable devices including a different spectral range and resolution. The work demonstrated the feasibility of NIR vibrational spectroscopy performing direct measurements on pharmaceutically relevant fresh plant material enabling a quick and simple determination of the ideal harvest time of Verbena officinalis.

Effect of harvest time on some in vitro functional properties of hop polyphenols

Health benefits of hop polyphenols are well studied. In the present investigation, we examined the antioxidant activity, anti-nitric oxide (NO) production, and anti-adipocyte differentiation of polyphenols extracted from hops (HPP), harvested at different times for over 4years. Saaz hop variety from the Czech Republic was used in the in vitro assays. Twenty-three polyphenols were quantitatively analyzed using Orbitrap liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), and their health promoting effects were assayed individually. Strong effects of low concentrations of HPP were observed in the above three assays. A significant increase in anti-adipocyte differentiation activity per unit weight of HPP was obtained in the early harvested samples. A significant difference in anti-NO production activity per unit weight of HPP was observed among the different harvest years. HPP significantly increased in early harvested samples. Our results suggest that some in vitro functional properties of hops vary with harvest time and year and are dependent on different polyphenols.

Influence of geography, seasons and pedology on chemical composition and anti-inflammatory activities of essential oils from Lippia multiflora Mold leaves

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Lippia multiflora is a plant with nutritional and pharmaco-therapeutic properties that is native to central and occidental Africa. The potential effects of plants on health are associated with their chemical composition. Therefore, the present study aimed to identify chemical variations in essential oils of Lippia multiflora as a function of geographic origin and time of annual harvest to determine optimal chemical profiles for ethno-pharmacotherapeutic applications.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Experimental plants were cultivated at Abidjan (LPA), Toumodi (LPT) and Bondoukou (LPB). Natural Lippia multiflora seeds were sourced to produce standardized plants over a period of six months. Standard plants (n=40) were re-introduced into natural plots, cultivated for 12 months and leaves were sampled monthly in a standardized fashion. Essentials oils (n=36) were then extracted from these samples by hydro-distillation according to the European Pharmacopoeia and qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed using GC/FID and GC/MS. These data were then analyzed using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Anti-inflammatory properties were also assessed against activated macrophages in vitro.

RESULTS

The results indicated that chemical profiles and essential oil yields vary according to the location where the plants were cultivated. One essential oil chemotype corresponded to the LPA and LPT sites and one corresponded to the LPB site. Statistical analysis of the chemical profiles and monthly evolution of the three sites over a period of one year allowed assessment of variations in composition and the subsequent choice of the optimal harvest time for ethnopharmacological applications. Anti-inflammatory activity apparently correlated with chemical profiles of essential oils and the geographic origins of the plants.

CONCLUSION

The optimal harvest time was associated with the maximum yield of pharmacological compounds with the most potential interest for health.

Effects of malaxation temperature and harvest time on the chemical characteristics of olive oils

The aim of the study was to determine the effects of harvest time and malaxation temperature on chemical composition of olive oils produced from economically important olive varieties with a full factorial experimental design. The oils of Ayvalik and Memecik olives were extracted in an industrial two-phase continuous system. The quality parameters, phenolic and fatty acid profiles were determined. Harvest time, olive variety and their interaction were the most significant factors. Malaxation temperature was significant for hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol, p-coumaric acid, pinoresinol and peroxide value. Early and mid-harvest oils had high hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol (maximum 20.7mg/kg) and pigment concentrations (maximum chlorophyll and carotenoids as 4.6mg/kg and 2.86mg/kg, respectively). Late harvest oils were characterized with high peroxide values (9.2-25meqO2/kg), stearic (2.4-3.1%) and linoleic acids (9.3-10.4%). Multivariate regression analysis showed that oxidative stability was affected positively by hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol and oleic acid and negatively by polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Effect of harvest date on Arundo donax L. (giant reed) composition, ensilage performance, and enzymatic digestibility

Composition and ensilage performance of giant reed harvested in August, October, November, and December, were evaluated and compared. Generally, late-harvested giant reed had higher dry matter content, lower nitrogen content, and higher water soluble carbohydrates (WSC) content than early-harvested giant reed. During 90days of ensilage, giant reed harvested in October, November, and December showed dry matter losses of about 1%, while giant reed harvested in August showed a higher dry matter loss of about 8%. During the ensilage process, more lactic acid was produced in late-harvested giant reed than in early-harvested giant reed. Late-harvested giant reed had a higher lignin content and lower enzymatic digestibility than early-harvested giant reed. However, enzymatic digestibility of all the giant reed biomass was improved by the 90-day ensilage process, reaching levels of 43-46%. In summary, ensilage could be used for storing giant reed biomass harvested at different times and for improving its digestibility.

root at different harvest times

The objective of this study was to investigate the variation in nutritional compositions, antioxidant activity and microstructure of Lycopus lucidus Turcz. root at different harvest times. L. lucidus Turcz. roots, harvested from two sites (S1 and S2) at three different times (T1: 19-11-2013, T2: 22-12-2013 and T3: 27-01-2014), were analyzed for nutritional compositions, antioxidant activity by DPPH, FRAP and TEAC assays and microstructure. The results revealed that the protein content in L. lucidus Turcz. root first decreased and then increased to a maximum at T3. The reducing sugar content had no significant differences among the three harvest dates studied. The starch content decreased drastically along with an increase of crude fat content with the harvest time delayed. The major amino acids in L. lucidus Turcz. root were aspartic acid and glutamate and the highest total amino acid content was found for the root harvested at T3. The most common element in L. lucidus Turcz. root was detected to be potassium followed by calcium, iron, magnesium, copper and manganese, and their changes were discrepant in the period of harvest. The FP and SGP possessed the highest and lowest phenolic content, respectively. The change of SEP was significantly correlated to the SGP at different harvest times. The highest TPC was found for the root harvested at T3 and the most abundant phenolic acid was chlorogenic acid. The highest and lowest DPPH radical scavenging capacity was observed for the SGP and FP, respectively. The highest and lowest FRAP and TEAC were observed for the FP and SGP, respectively. The results of correlation analysis indicated that there was significant correlation between phenolic content and FRAP and TEAC, and different antioxidant assays. The microstructure of L. lucidus Turcz. root also varied greatly with the harvest times.

Effect of nitrogen concentration on lipid productivity and fatty acid composition of Monoraphidium sp

Green algae, Monoraphidium sp. T4X, was isolated locally, in New Delhi, India and identified as a potential source of biofuel. The study focuses on the effect of nutritional amendments and their uptake rates with respect to growth and change in fatty acid composition of the species. The lipid productivity and fatty acid profile were investigated and compared under six different nitrogen concentrations. Of the tested concentrations, cultures with nitrate concentration 0.36 g/l exhibited higher lipid productivity (0.18 g/l/day) with optimum content of all fatty acid compositions (SFA=37.22, MUFA=39.19, PUFA=23.60) with appropriate biodiesel properties. The right phase for harvesting microalgae was also investigated on the basis of the growth curve.