Selection of lines of Valeriana jatamansi Jones, a high value medicinal plant in North Eastern Himalayan region

Soumendra Chakraborty; Dhiman Mukherjee; Sibdas Baskey

Soumendra Chakraborty Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, All India Co-ordinated Research Project on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Regional Research Station (Hill Zone), Kalimpong, Uttar Banga Agricultural University, West Bengal 734 301
Dhiman Mukherjee Department of Agronomy, All India Co-ordinated Research Project on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Regional Research Station (Hill Zone), Kalimpong, Uttar Banga Agricultural University, West Bengal 734 301
Sibdas Baskey Department of Plant Pathology, All India Co-ordinated Research Project on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Regional Research Station (Hill Zone), Kalimpong, Uttar Banga Agricultural University, West Bengal 734 301

Keywords: Characterization, endangered medicinal plant, selection, leaf margin

Abstract

Valeriana jatamansi Jones, newly introduced endangered medicinal plant in north eastern Himalayan region from North Sikkim (Sangtok 27.25°N 88.31°E) to the hilly region of West Bengal (Kalimpong 27.06°N 88.47°E) was conserved in field gene banks in Kalimpong regional research station for its highly active medicinal properties. Morphological characterization and selection of 9 lines on the basis of leaf margin and time of flowering was done in the field gene banks maintained at Kalimpong. Three types of plant phenotype namely, entire, sinuate and wavy was selected along with morphological traits to find the overall performance of the lines in the plant population.