Assessment of phenotypic and genotypic diversity in Eclipta Alba (L.) Hassk: an important medicinal plant

Abstract

The knowledge about medicinal potentials of different cytotypes, ecotypes, gene complexes, interspecific hybrids within medicinal plants is the need of the hour. Keeping in view all of these facts there is a need to explore the medicinal plants from cytomorphological and phytochemical parameters. Presently, as many as, 34 accessions of Elipta alba were collected from different places of Punjab, Chandigarh (Union Territory), Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. All accessions were maintained at Botanic Gardens, Punjabi University, Patiala. The present work was undertaken with aim of screening of North Indian E. alba germplasm for phenotypic (morphological, biochemical) and genotypic (cytological, molecular) variability. Attempt has also been made to induce variability utilizing in vitro techniques. Impact of agronomic inputs on growth of Bhringraj was also studied. Accessions of Eclipta alba can be divided into three morphotypes viz. Erect, Semierect and Prostrate and two types of colour variants viz. light green and dark green. Cytological studies revealed that all the accessions are at diploid (2n= 22). It was found that the chiasmata frequency for prostrate type remained higher throughout the year in comparison to semierect and erect types. RAPD based analysis revealed accession PHPS1 was found to be significantly different from the rest of the accessions. The correlation study revealed that the various biochemicals in the leaves are positively and significantly correlated with morphological characters such as plant height and leaf size. Among three morphotypes the semierect type showed higher amount of phytochemical constituents followed by erect types. The green Eclipta accessions showed higher amount of mean values of various constituents as compared to the dark green colour variant. Antimicrobial activity of E. alba revealed that leaf extracts of erect type of plants showed maximum antimicrobial activity against all the bacteria except B..