Journal of Horticultural Sciences

R. Chitra ¹, K. Rajamani ², M. Jawaharlal ²

Affiliations
1 Agricultural Research Station, TNAU, Bhavanisagar, Tamil Nadu, IN
2 Horticultural College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore-641 003, IN

Abstract

Glory lily (Gloriosa superba L.) is one of the major medicinal plants of India cultivated for its seeds which are exported to developed countries for pharmaceutical use. Identifying germplasm is an important component for efficient and effective management of plant genetic resources. Variability for qualitative and quantitative traits was investigated in 18 genotypes of G. superba collected from different regions of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. For qualitative traits, these genotypes were subjected to diversity analysis based on NBPGR descriptors. Fourteen qualitative and twenty quantitative traits of G. superba were evaluated to assess morphological variations among the genotypes collected. In qualitative traits, a large number of genotypes of the 18 clustered together, at 77% similarity in two clusters. Dendrogram constructed on the basis of twenty quantitative traits for the same set of genotypes did not reveal any clear pattern in grouping, and the genotypes were grouped into seven different clusters. Cluster analysis based on qualitative and quantitative traits revealed a different group of genotypes for each of the data-set. This clearly indicated that less variation existed between genotypes with respect to morphological traits. These easily observable morphological traits are useful tools for preliminary evaluation, because, they offer a fast and reliable approach for assessing extent of diversity in G. superba genotypes.

Keywords

Gloriosa superba, Morphological Traits, Cluster Analysis.

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C. Kavitha ¹, E. Vadivel ², R. Sivasamy ³, K. Rajamani ¹

Affiliations
1 Horticultural College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore - 641 003, IN
2 TNAU, Coimbatore-641003, IN
3 Department of Biotechnology, Bharathiyar University, Coimbatore-641046, IN

Abstract

Coleus forskohlii Briq. is an indigenous medicinal plant with high traditional use in India. Genetic analysis of 37 diverse C. forskohlii genotypes was performed using 25 RAPD primers, which yielded 117 bands, of which 60 (51.28%) were polymorphic providing an average of 3.75 bands per primer. There were no genotype-specific products. The number of bands per primer varied from 1 (OPZ 8&16) to 7 (OPZ 11). Similarity matrix was constructed using Jaccard's Coefficient and the data matrix of coefficient of similarity was subjected to cluster analysis using unweighted pair group methodology with arithmetic average (UPGMA). Cluster analysis resulted in grouping of 37 genotypes into two major clusters. The results indicated that RAPD could be used for genetic diversity analysis in C. forskohlii using higher number of primers as it is reliable, easy, rapid and cost-effective.

Keywords

Coleus forskohlii, Genetic Diversity, RAPD.

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M. Velmurugan ¹, K. Rajamani ¹, P. Paramaguru ¹, R. Gnanam ², J. R. Kannan Bapu ³

Affiliations
1 Department of Spices, Plantation Crops and Medicinal Plant Unit, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore – 641 003, IN
2 Agricultural College and Research Institute, Madurai, IN
3 Agricultural Research Station, Aliyarnagar, IN

Abstract

The present investigation was carried out during 2003-2007 involving terminal cuttings of coleus ecotype 'Garmai'. Genotypic correlation coefficient between yield and its components in mutants of coleus was studied, viz., plant height, number of branches plant^-1, number of leaves plant^-1, number of tubers plant^-1, tuber length and tuber girth were found to have positive and highly significant correlation with yield. However, forskolin and essential oil content showed negative correlation with yield. Path analysis of component characters on yield of Coleus in V₂M₁ generation exerted positive direct effect through the characters plant height, number of leaves plant^-1 and number of tubers plant^-1. Similarly, direct effect was observed to be negative through number of branches plant^-1 (-0.930), total amount of alkaloids (-0.066) and forskolin content (-0.026). The current investigation resulted in residual effect of 0.158 indicating the accuracy and appropriate selection of component character for crop improvement programme. Weightage must be given to component characters exhibiting positive attributes towards fresh tuber yield in Coleus. However, some traits with negative attributes are also chosen for getting improved quality, i.e., forskolin content, without much inhibition on fresh tuber yield plant^-1.

Keywords

Coleus forskohlii, Correlation, Path Analysis.

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C. Kavitha ¹, E. Vadivel ², K. Rajamani ¹, C. Thangamani ¹

Affiliations
1 Horticultural College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore-641 003, IN
2 Directorate of Extension Education, TNAU, Coimbatore – 641 003, IN

Abstract

Thirty seven Coleus forskohlii genotypes collected from different regions of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka were subjected to diversity analysis based on NBPGR descriptors. Eleven qualitative and fourteen quantitative traits of C. forskohlii were evaluated to assess the morphological variations available among the collected genotypes. For qualitative traits, a large number of genotypes out of 37 clustered together at 74 % similarity in four different groups. The dendrogram contract based on fourteen quantitative traits for the same set of genotypes did not reveal a clear pattern in grouping and the genotypes were grouped into ten different clusters. Cluster analysis of various sets of data revealed different groups of genotypes for each of the data set. A poor congruence observed among data sets of qualitative and quantitative traits in the comparison indicated that the morphological traits are not suitable for precise discrimination of closely related genotypes in C. forskohlii.

Keywords

Coleus forskohlii, Morphological Traits, Cluster Analysis.

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R. Chitra ¹, E. Vadivel ¹, K. Rajamani ¹

Affiliations
1 Horticulture College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore 641 003, IN

Abstract

Phyllanthus amarus Schum. and Thonn (Euphorbiaceae) is recognized commonly as 'Bhumyamlaki' in the Indian system of medicine and has been traditionally used for treating a variety of ailments, including hepatic disorders. Anti-hepatic viral compounds such as phyllanthin and hypophyllanthin were evaluated in different types of in vitro cultures of Phyllanthus amarus by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Among the cultures, in vitro plantlets regenerating from the nodal segment recorded higher amounts of phyllanthin and hypophyllanthin.

Keywords

Phyllanthus amarus, HPLC, Phyllanthin and Hypophyllanthin.

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