Plasticity for (-) - Hydroxycitric acid (HCA) content in ecotypes of Garcinia indica (Kokum) of Western Ghats

Abstract

Western Ghats of India is the centre for biological diversity many plant species including Garcinia indica. Biologically important compound (-) - Hydroxycitric acid (HCA) is a popular anti-obesity compound extracted from the fruits of Garcinia indica. The present study was conducted to understand the extent of variation for the content of –(-)HCA in the fruits of Garcinia indica ecotypes prevailing in Western Ghats of Karnataka. The autoclave assisted extraction and the spectrophotometric analysis of 120 ecotypes of G. indica revealed significant variation in HCA content in the fruits. The average per cent HCA content on dry weight basis in fruits of G. indica was 17.90. The average mean HCA content of G. indica ecotypes in Uttara Kannada region (regarded as Uttara Kannada population) was highest (20.60%). compared to other ecotypes. The results indicated that there is a good genetic plasticity for HCA content among the ecotypes of G. indica prevailing in Western Ghats of Karnataka and there exists ample opportunity to exercise selection for the genotypes with higher –(-)HCA content.