Morphological, phytochemical and genetic diversity of threatened Polygonatum verticillatum (L.) All. populations of different altitudes and habitat types in Himalayan region

Polygonatum verticillatum (L.) All. is an important medicinal herb that belongs to the family Asparagaceae. The rhizome of the species is used in Chyavanprash preparation and several other ayurvedic formulations. Numerous active constituents like saponins, alkaloids, phytohormones, flavonoids, antioxidants, lysine, serine, aspartic acid, diosgenin, β-sitosterol, etc. have been reported from this species. In this study, morphological, phytochemical, antioxidant and genetic variations of 11 distant populations of P. verticillatum were measured. Considerably (P < 0.05) higher variations were recorded among different populations of P. verticillatum using morphological, phytochemical and genetic diversity parameters. AGFW (above ground fresh weights); flavonols, FRAP (Ferric ion reducing antioxidant power) and NO (Nitric Oxide scavenging activity) were recorded maximum in Kafni population. Similarly, a significantly higher above and below ground dry weight was recorded in Mayawati and Surmoli populations respectively. Maximum phenolic content, tannins, and DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) activity were recorded in Milam population. A total of 165 individuals from 11 populations were assessed for genetic diversity using inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR) marker. High genetic diversity (He = 0.35) was recorded in Himkhola and Surmoli populations while it was observed minimum (0.28) in the Mayawati population. Altitude showed a significant positive correlation with tannins (r = 0.674; P < 005) and DPPH (r = 0.820; P < 0.01). Phenol content exhibited a considerably positive relationship with He (r = 0.606; P < 0.05) and BGFW (r = 0.620; P < 0.05), flavonol displayed a positive correlation with Pp% (r = 0.606; P < 0.05). The population structure of P. verticillatum, exhibited that the optimal value of the K was 3 for its populations as determined by the ΔK statistic structure. Among populations, the amount of gene flow is higher (Nm = 1.717) among all sites. Hence, it can be concluded that P. verticillatum populations possess considerable variability in the collected populations. Likewise, the populations from Kafni, Satbunga and Himkhola with higher morphological, phytochemicals and genetic variability were prioritized and therefore recommended for cultivation and mass multiplication to meet the industrial demand for target species.The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-021-01044-9.