Phlomis cashmeriana Royle ex Benth. commonly known as Kashmir sage is a rare and important medicinal plant growing in Kashmir Himalaya. The current study is the first of its kind, carried out to find the impingement on growth dynamics of the plant under study along various altitudinal inclines and habitats. Extensive field surveys were conducted during the years 2020-2021 to assess the distribution and phenotypic attributes of Phlomis cashmeriana. Three natural sites viz, Jawahar tunnel, Hillar naar, Daksum and one control population at KUBG were selected for the present work. Morphological characteristics of species were noticed to be varying extensively under different scopes of environment. Plants thriving at lower altitudes (KUBG) were found to be growing vigorously and taller. However, the opposite scenario was observed in plants growing at higher altitudes (Jawahar tunnel). KUBG and Daksum were reasonably found to be better habitats for the growth of Phlomis cashmeriana as revealed by principal component analysis (PCA). Majority of resources were attributed towards the growth of rhizomes followed by leaf, stem, and inflorescences respectively. Variation in reproductive success was also observed along different altitudes ranging from 63.94 % to 53.40 %. The total resource budget per plant also varied among different populations with a maximum in populations growing at low altitude, KUBG (23.73±6.63) and least in populations growing at high altitude J. tunnel (12.94±7.67). We hypothesize that a heterogeneous environment is the primary cause of phenotypic variability across different altitudes, however, the role of other environmental factors should also be taken into consideration.
Phytochemicals have become significantly important for scientific research since these possess incredibly remarkable health benefits, especially antioxidant potential to scavenge free radicals and combat the harmful effects of oxidative stress caused by adverse environmental factors. The efficacy and quantity of these phytochemicals relies upon numerous factors including the extraction method, solvent polarity and the habitat features in which the plant is growing. In this study we emphasized on phytochemical analysis and antioxidant activity of Bistorta amplexicaulis, an important medicinal plant species from Kashmir Himalaya. We evaluated antioxidant activity using different assays from all the selected sites to enumerate the impact of habitat. The sites were selected based on varying habitat features and altitude. Our results revealed that Ethyl acetate is the potent solvent for the extraction of phytochemicals.Below ground parts exhibited better scavenging activity than the above ground parts. Amongst the sites, we found the maximum antio xidant potential at Site I. A positive correlation was found between antioxidant activity and altitude while soil attributes (OC, OM, N, P, and K) and most of the morphological traits showed a negative correlation. Overall, our study identified the elite populations that could be utilized for mass propagation and harness the ultimate antioxidant potential of B. amplexicaulis.
Bistorta amplexicaulis is an essential medicinal plant found in the Kashmir Himalaya. Ethnobotanical studies have revealed that this particular species is used to treat fractures, muscle injuries, heart problems, abnormal leucorrhoea, menorrhagia and inflammation of the mouth and tongue. The current study aimed to determine the variation in growth traits and fluctuations in the allocation patterns with respect to different habitats across the altitudinal gradient. In order to adapt to unpredictable and stressful conditions at higher altitudes, phenotypic plasticity plays a crucial role. Our findings revealed considerable variability in the phenotypic traits, indicating that altitude has a defined effect on this specific species’s morphology and reproductive traits. Low altitude plant populations of Kashmir University Botanical Garden (KUBG), Dara and Tangmarg were more robust and taller (98.4±2.36, 83.58±2.69 and 74.08±1.59 cm, respectively) than the populations of Pissu top and Bangus (23.96±3.38 and 30.43±1.12 cm respectively) at higher altitudes. The habitats of KUBG, Dara, and Tangmarg proved to be substantially better for the growth of B. amplexicaulis, as per the Principal component analysis (PCA). The regression analysis demonstrated a negative relation between altitude and plant height. Traits such as leaf length/ breadth, Rhizome length/ breadth and inflorescence length showed a strong correlation with plant height. Our results provide an inclusive description of the phenotypic variability of this significant medicinal plant in response to the habitat variability across different altitudes.
Comprehensive studies on meiotic behavior and pollen biology of a species are crucial for its conservation strategies. The presence of meiotic bottlenecks directly or indirectly influences the reproductive success of a plant species. The present study records chromosome number, male meiotic behavior, seed set, pollen viability, and pollen germination in two populations of Swertia thomsonii, an important medicinal plant of Himalaya. The chromosome count recorded in both accessions was 2n=2x=26, however; chromosomal abnormalities (21.23 and 4.31%) were recorded in population 1 (Pop-1) and population 2 (Pop-2), respectively. These include chromosomal stickiness, out of the plate, formation of laggards, abnormal spindles, bridges, multipolarity, and polysporads. These meiotic irregularities compromise pollen viability, pollen germination, and seed set of species. The possible cause for these recorded meiotic abnormalities was cold stress as the species grows in temperate or sub-alpine regions with cold climatic conditions. Another possible reason might be the presence of heavy metals in the soil more than permissible limits, which was determined by soil sample analysis. Therefore, these findings along with other reproductive and ecological studies can aid in the development of successful conservation and management strategies for this medicinally important plant species.
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