Abstract
Due to extensive medicinal importance and wide distributional range of Primula denticulata Sm., locally known as Doker-neej (Kashmiri) of family Primulaceae, in Kashmir valley, the present investigation was carried out to study the variations in phenology, stomatal traits and content of phytochemicals of the species in relation to altitude. During the present investigation, trends in the stomatal traits which include: stomatal density, length and breadth of guard cells and potential conductance index (PCI) along an altitudinal gradient were analyzed by using standard methods. Samples from different populations with varying altitudes were also subjected to qualitative and quantitative estimation for the presence of various phytochemicals by using various spectrophotometric techniques.It was observed that mean values of the analyzed stomatal traits in the four populations varied significantly (p?0.05) across the populations. Phytochemicals such as phenols, tannins, alkaloids and saponins were present in all the sampled populations but their quantity varied significantly across the populations. This assessing of phytochemical content of plants at varying altitudes can help to select elite genotype and reflect the best suited altitude for commercial cultivation of the species as these phytochemicals are considered as the basis for their medicinal activity.
Highlights
Biosynthesis of the secondary metabolites in plants is controlled genetically, but is strongly affected by different biotic and abiotic stresses[1]
Primula denticulata Sm., distributed in the mountain ranges of Kashmir Himalaya is confined to temperate, sub-alpine and alpine regions, grows in early spring in forests, near melting glaciers, moist meadows and grassy slopes, ranging in altitude from 2100 – 4050m asl indicating that the species can tolerate a broad range of environmental conditions
It was observed that life span of the species goes on decreasing as altitude increases www.ssjournals.com and plants at higher altitudes try to complete their life cycle quicker than low altitude ones (Fig. 2)
Summary
Biosynthesis of the secondary metabolites in plants is controlled genetically, but is strongly affected by different biotic and abiotic stresses[1]. Plants behave differently in terms of biochemical aspects in order to better adapt to their environment. This broad range of environmental factors across altitude affects the chemical composition and, the survival of medicinal plants in such regions. The stress conditions affects secondary metabolites or so called active ingredients and other compounds that plants produce, which are usually the basis for their medicinal activity[2]. Primula denticulata Sm., distributed in the mountain ranges of Kashmir Himalaya is confined to temperate, sub-alpine and alpine regions, grows in early spring in forests, near melting glaciers, moist meadows and grassy slopes, ranging in altitude from 2100 – 4050m asl indicating that the species can tolerate a broad range of environmental conditions. The chemical profiling of Primula denticulata (Indian anti-snake venom plant) showed presence of Primetin-19 (5, 8-dihydoxyflavone) which posses strong sensitizing properties and is a powerful contact allergen[5]
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