Genotypic variation in root architectural traits under contrasting phosphorus levels in Mediterranean and Indian origin lentil genotypes.

The development of phosphorus-efficient crop cultivars boosts productivity while lowering eutrophication in the environment. It is feasible to improve the efficiency of phosphorus (P) absorption in lentils by enhancing phosphorus absorption through root architectural traits. The root architectural traits of 110 diverse lentil genotypes of Indian and Mediterranean origin were assessed, and the relationships between traits were investigated. In a hydroponics experiment, the lentil lines were examined at the seedling stage under two conditions: adequate P supply and deficient P supply. The Pearson correlation coefficients between root architectural traits and genetic diversity among lentil lines were assessed. To estimate variance components, a model (fixed factor) was used. In this experiment, both phosphorus (P) and genotype were fixed variables. Our lentil lines showed significant genetic variability and considerable genetic diversity for all traits under both treatments. The TRL (total root length) and PRL (primary root length) showed strong positive associations with all other characteristics excluding root average diameter (RAD) in both P treatments. In both P treatments, the RAD revealed a negative significant association with Total Root Tips (TRT), as well as total root volume (TRV) and total root forks (TRF) in the deficit conditions of P. Total root volume (TRV), total surface area (TSA), and total root tips had higher coefficient variance values. The first two principal components represented 67.88% and 66.19% of the overall variance in the adequate and deficit P treatments respectively. The Shannon-Weaver diversity index (H') revealed that RAD, PRL, and TSA had more variability than TRT and TRF under both treatments. According to the Comprehensive Phosphorus Efficiency Measure (CPEM), the best five highly efficient genotypes are PLL 18-09, PLS 18-01, PLL 18-25, PLS 18-23, and PLL 18-07, while IG112131, P560206, IG334, L11-231, and PLS18-67 are highly inefficient genotypes. The above contrasting diverse lentil genotypes can be utilized to produce P-efficient lentil cultivars. The lentil germplasm with potentially favorable root traits can be suggested to evaluated for other abiotic stress to use them in crop improvement programme. The scientific breakthroughs in root trait phenotyping have improved the chances of establishing trait-allele relationships. As a result, genotype-to-phenotype connections can be predicted and verified with exceptional accuracy, making it easier to find and incorporate favourable nutrition-related genes/QTLs in to breeding programme.

Expression of potential reference genes in response to macronutrient stress in rice and soybean.

Given the complexity of nutrient stress responses and the availability of a few validated reference genes, we aimed to identify robust and stable reference genes for macronutrient stress in rice and soybean. Ten potential reference genes were evaluated using geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, Comparative ΔCt method, and RefFinder algorithms under low and completely starved conditions of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and sulphur (S). Results revealed distinct sets of reference gene pairs, showing stable expression under different experimental conditions. The gene pairs TIP41/UBC(9/10/18) and F-box/UBC10 were most stable in rice and soybean, respectively under N stress. Under P stress, UBC9/UBC10 in rice and F-Box/UBC10 in soybean were most stable. Similarly, TIP41/UBC10 in rice and RING FINGER/UBC9 in soybean were the best gene pairs under K stress while F-Box/TIP41 in rice and UBC9/UBC10 in soybean were the most stable gene pairs under S stress. These reference gene pairs were validated by quantifying the expression levels of high-affinity transporters like NRT2.1/NRT2.5, PT1, AKT1, and SULTR1 for N, P, K, and S stress, respectively. This study reiterates the importance of choosing reference genes based on crop species and the experimental conditions, in order to obtain concrete answers to missing links of gene regulation in response to macronutrient deficiencies.

Population structure and genome-wide association studies in bread wheat for phosphorus efficiency traits using 35 K Wheat Breeder's Affymetrix array.

Soil bioavailability of phosphorus (P) is a major concern for crop productivity worldwide. As phosphatic fertilizers are a non-renewable resource associated with economic and environmental issues so, the sustainable option is to develop P use efficient crop varieties. We phenotyped 82 diverse wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) accessions in soil and hydroponics at low and sufficient P. To identify the genic regions for P efficiency traits, the accessions were genotyped using the 35 K-SNP array and genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed. The high-quality SNPs across the genomes were evenly distributed with polymorphic information content values varying between 0.090 and 0.375. Structure analysis revealed three subpopulations (C1, C2, C3) and the phenotypic responses of these subpopulations were assessed for P efficiency traits. The C2 subpopulation showed the highest genetic variance and heritability values for numerous agronomically important traits as well as strong correlation under both P levels in soil and hydroponics. GWAS revealed 78 marker-trait associations (MTAs) but only 35 MTAs passed Bonferroni Correction. A total of 297 candidate genes were identified for these MTAs and their annotation suggested their involvement in several biological process. Out of 35, nine (9) MTAs were controlling polygenic trait (two controlling four traits, one controlling three traits and six controlling two traits). These multi-trait MTAs (each controlling two or more than two correlated traits) could be utilized for improving bread wheat to tolerate low P stress through marker-assisted selection (MAS).

Genetic variation for root architectural traits in response to phosphorus deficiency in mungbean at the seedling stage.

Roots enable the plant to survive in the natural environment by providing anchorage and acquisition of water and nutrients. In this study, root architectural traits of 153 mungbean genotypes were compared under optimum and low phosphorus (P) conditions. Significant variations and medium to high heritability were observed for the root traits. Total root length was positively and significantly correlated with total root surface area, total root volume, total root tips and root forks under both optimum P (r = 0.95, r = 0.85, r = 0.68 and r = 0.82 respectively) and low P (r = 0.95, r = 0.82, r = 0.71 and r = 0.81 respectively). The magnitudes of the coefficient of variations were relatively higher for root forks, total root tips and total root volume. Total root length, total root surface area and total root volume were major contributors of variation and can be utilized for screening of P efficiency at the seedling stage. Released Indian mungbean varieties were found to be superior for root traits than other genotypic groups. Based on comprehensive P efficiency measurement, IPM-288, TM 96-25, TM 96-2, M 1477, PUSA 1342 were found to be the best highly efficient genotypes, whereas M 1131, PS-16, Pusa Vishal, M 831, IC 325828 were highly inefficient. Highly efficient genotypes identified would be valuable genetic resources for P efficiency for utilizing in the mungbean breeding programme.

Differential response of hexaploid and tetraploid wheat to interactive effects of elevated [CO2] and low phosphorus.

KEY MESSAGE: Hexaploid wheat is more responsive than tetraploid to the interactive effects of elevated [CO2] and low P in terms of carboxylate efflux, enzyme activity and gene expression (TaPT1 and TaPAP). Availability of mineral nutrients to plants under changing climate has become a serious challenge to food security and economic development. An understanding of how elevated [CO2] influences phosphorus (P) acquisition processes at the whole-plant level would be critical in selecting cultivars as well as to maintain optimum yield in limited-P conditions. Wheat (Triticum aestivum and T. durum) grown hydroponically with sufficient and low P concentration were exposed to elevated and ambient [CO2]. Improved dry matter partitioning towards root resulted in increased root-to-shoot ratio, root length, volume, surface area, root hair length and density at elevated [CO2] with low P. Interaction of low P and [CO2] induced activity of enzymes (phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase, malate dehydrogenase and citrate synthase) in root tissue resulting in twofold increase in carboxylates and acid phosphatase exudation. Physiological absorption capacity of roots showed that plants alter their uptake kinetics by increasing affinity (low Km) in response to elevated [CO2] under low P supply. Increased relative expression of genes, purple acid phosphatase (TaPAP) and high-affinity Pi transporter (TaPT1) in roots induced by elevated [CO2] and low P supported our physiological observations. Hexaploid wheat (PBW-396) being more responsive to elevated [CO2] at low P supply as compared to tetraploid (PDW-233) necessitates the ploidy effect to be explored further which might be advantageous under changing climate.

Root exudation potential in contrasting soybean genotypes in response to low soil phosphorus availability is determined by photo-biochemical processes.

Low phosphorus (P) availability elicits efflux of organic substances viz. carboxylic acids, phenolics, proteins, amino acids, sugars and other low molecular weight compounds in many leguminous crops including soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.). The potential for root exudation varies widely among soybean genotypes, as synthesis and secretion of root exudates place additional burden on the carbon demand of the plant. Hence, efficient photosynthetic machinery may attribute to the differential root exudation potential of soybean genotypes in response to low soil P availability. An attempt was made to understand the varietal differences in photo-biochemical processes of soybean genotypes identified previously with contrasting root exudation potential under low P (Vengavasi and Pandey, 2016). Genotypes EC-232019 (P-efficient) and EC-113396 (P-inefficient) were grown in soil with low (2 mg P kg-1 soil) and sufficient (25 mg P kg-1 soil) P levels under natural environment and observations were recorded at anthesis. The genotype EC-232019 exhibited higher maximal carboxylation rate (Vcmax), maximal photosynthesis (Amax), apparent quantum efficiency (Φ), mesophyll conductance (gm), triose phosphate utilization rate (TPU), photochemical quenching (qP) and electron transport rate (ETR), along with higher chlorophyll a, total chlorophyll and total carotenoid concentration as compared to the P-inefficient EC-113396. Low P-induced reduction in maximal electron transport rate (Jmax) and Φ was higher in EC-113396 rather than EC-232019, suggesting superior photo-biochemical efficiency in the latter. The observed variation in P uptake and growth responses might be attributed in part to the improved photo-biochemical processes exhibited by the P-efficient genotype EC-232019.

Major bioactive phenolics in Bergenia species from the Indian Himalayan region: Method development, validation and quantitative estimation using UHPLC-QqQLIT-MS/MS.

Bergenia species are important medicinal plants used in indigenous systems of medicine for their antilithiatic and diuretic properties. An ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to hybrid linear ion trap triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QqQLIT-MS/MS) method has been developed and validated for the estimation of quantitative variation of eight major bioactive phenolics in the rhizomes (150 samples) of four species of this herb, Bergenia (B. ciliata, B. ligulata, B. purpurascens and B. stracheyi). Chromatographic separation was obtained on a Waters ACQUITY UPLCTM BEH (ethylene bridged hybrid) C18 column with a mobile phase consisting of 0.1% (v/v) formic acid aqueous solution and acetonitrile under a gradient elution manner. A hybrid linear ion trap triple quadrupole mass spectrometer was operated in negative electrospray ionization mode with multiple reactions monitoring for detection and quantification of the eight compounds. The validated method demonstrated good linearity (r2 ≥ 0.9991), precision (RSD ≤ 1.87%) and accuracy (95.16-102.11%, RSD ≤ 1.83%) for all reference analytes. The quantitative results revealed that B. ligulata contains the highest amount of the major active marker-bergenin. The results also suggest that sensitive UHPLC-QqQLIT-MS/MS method, a sensitive, accurate and convenient one, could be helpful in identification of potential accession(s), rapid quality control and establishing authenticity of Bergenia species as raw material for pharmaceutical industries.

Rapid screening and quantitative determination of bioactive compounds from fruit extracts of Myristica species and their in vitro antiproliferative activity.

Efficient and sensitive LC-MS/MS methods have been developed for the rapid screening and determination of bioactive compounds in different fruit parts of four Myristica species, viz., Myristica beddomeii, Myristica fragrans, Myristica fatua and Myristica malabarica. Twenty-one compounds were identified and characterized on the basis of their accurate mass and MS/MS fragmentation pattern using HPLC-QTOF-MS/MS and NMR analysis. Quantitative determination of five major bioactive compounds was performed using multiple-reaction monitoring mode with continuous polarity switching by UHPLC-QqQLIT-MS/MS. Moreover, in vitro antiproliferative activity of these Myristica species was evaluated against five human cancer cell lines A549, DLD-1, DU145, FaDu and MCF-7 using SRB assay. Seventeen phytoconstituents were identified and reported for the first time from M. beddomeii and sixteen from M. fatua. Quantification result showed highest total content of five major bioactive compounds in mace of M. fragrans. Evaluation of in vitro antiproliferative activity revealed potent activity in all investigated species except M. fragrans.

Phytochemical Screening of Garcinia travancorica by HPLC-ESI-QTOF Mass Spectrometry and Cytotoxicity Studies of the Major Biflavonoid Fukugiside.

Qualitative screening of multiclass secondary metabolites present in the fruits, leaves and stem bark extracts of Garcinia travancorica was carried out using HPLC-QTOF-MS analysis. Twenty-three compounds were identified in the fruits, leaves and stem bark; including two acids (hydroxycitric acid and hydroxycitric acid lactone), eight biflavonoids (morelloflavone, GB-1, GB-la, GB-2, GB-2a, fukugiside, xanthochymusside and GB-la glucoside), nine xanthones (α-mangostin, γ-mangostin, 1,5-dihydroxy-3-methoxyxanthone, garciniaxanthone E, 4-(I,1-dimethylprop-2-enyl)-1,3,5,8-tetrahydroxy-xanthone, garcinone A, garcinone B, garcinone C and polyanxanthone C) and four polyisoprenylated benzophenones (gambogenone, aristophenone A, garcinol and garciyunnanin A). Cytotoxicity studies of the major biflavonoid fukugiside reported from G. travancorica leaves revealed a dose-dependent cancer cell growth inhibition in A431 and HeLa cells. The antiproliferative effect appears to be due to the ability of fukugiside to induce S-phase arrest and apoptotic cell death. In HeLa cells, fukugiside reduced the expression of MAPKp38 by 26.1% compared with untreated control.

Simultaneous quantitative determination of multiple bioactive markers in Ocimum sanctum obtained from different locations and its marketed herbal formulations using UPLC-ESI-MS/MS combined with principal component analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Ocimum sanctum L., with phenolic acids, flavonoids, propenyl phenols and terpenoids as active pharmacological constituents, is a popular medicinal herb and is present as an ingredient in many herbal formulations. Therefore, development of a reliable analytical method for simultaneous determination of the pharmacologically active constituents of O. sanctum is of high importance. OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate a new, rapid, sensitive and selective UPLC-ESI/MS/MS method for simultaneous determination of 23 bioactive markers including phenolic acids, flavonoids, propenyl phenol and terpenoid in the leaf extract and marketed herbal formulations of O. sanctum. METHODS: An UPLC-ESI/MS/MS method using negative electrospray ionisation (ESI) in multiple-reaction-monitoring (MRM) mode was used for simultaneous determination. Chromatographic separation was achieved on an Acquity UPLC BEH C18 -column using a gradient elution with 0.1% formic acid in water and 0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to correlate and discriminate eight geographical collections of O. sanctum based on quantitative data of the analytes. RESULTS: The developed method was validated as per International Conference on Harmonization guidelines and found to be accurate, with overall recovery in the range 95.09-104.84% (RSD ≤ 1.85%), precise (RSD ≤ 1.98%) and linear (r(2) ≥ 0.9971) over the concentration range of 0.5-1000 ng/mL. Ursolic acid was found to be the most abundant marker in all the samples investigated, except for the marketed tablet. CONCLUSION: The method established is simple, rapid and sensitive, hence it can be reliably utilised for the quality control of O. sanctum and derived herbal formulations.

Quality control assessment of polyherbal formulation based on a quantitative determination multimarker approach by ultra high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry using polarity switching combined with multivariate analysis.

An ultra high performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry method has been developed and validated for the simultaneous quantification of 28 major bioactive compounds in Mentat tablet, a complex Indian herbal medicine used in the treatment of neurological disorder and improvement of mental health. Multiple-reaction monitoring scanning was employed for quantification in positive and negative ion switching mode. The analysis was accomplished on Waters ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18 column with linear gradient elution of water/formic acid (0.1%) and acetonitrile/formic acid (0.1%) at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min. The proposed method was validated with acceptable linearity (r2 , 0.9984-0.9999), precision (RSD, 0.22-2.11%), stability (RSD, 0.16-1.78%), and recovery (RSD ≤ 3.74%), under optimum conditions. The limits of quantitation ranged from 0.28 to 3.88 ng/mL. The method was successfully applied for simultaneous determination of 28 compounds in 20 batches of Mentat tablet. Hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis were performed to evaluate the similarity and variation of the 20 samples based on the characteristics of 28 bioactive compounds. Results indicated that this method is rapid, sensitive, and reliable to show the quality of the Mentat tablet's composition, hence may be used for quality control of polyherbal formulations having similar markers/raw herbs.

Metabolite Profiling of Low-P Tolerant and Low-P Sensitive Maize Genotypes under Phosphorus Starvation and Restoration Conditions.

BACKGROUND: Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the most widely cultivated crop plants. Unavoidable economic and environmental problems associated with the excessive use of phosphatic fertilizers demands its better management. The solution lies in improving the phosphorus (P) use efficiency to sustain productivity even at low P levels. Untargeted metabolomic profiling of contrasting genotypes provides a snap shot of whole metabolome which differs under specific conditions. This information provides an understanding of the mechanisms underlying tolerance to P stress and the approach for increasing P-use-efficiency. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A comparative metabolite-profiling approach based on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) was applied to investigate the effect of P starvation and its restoration in low-P sensitive (HM-4) and low-P tolerant (PEHM-2) maize genotypes. A comparison of the metabolite profiles of contrasting genotypes in response to P-deficiency revealed distinct differences among low-P sensitive and tolerant genotypes. Another set of these genotypes were grown under P-restoration condition and sampled at different time intervals (3, 5 and 10 days) to investigate if the changes in metabolite profile under P-deficiency was restored. Significant variations in the metabolite pools of these genotypes were observed under P-deficiency which were genotype specific. Out of 180 distinct analytes, 91 were identified. Phosphorus-starvation resulted in accumulation of di- and trisaccharides and metabolites of ammonium metabolism, specifically in leaves, but decreased the levels of phosphate-containing metabolites and organic acids. A sharp increase in the concentrations of glutamine, asparagine, serine and glycine was observed in both shoots and roots under low-P condition. CONCLUSION: The new insights generated on the maize metabolome in response to P-starvation and restoration would be useful towards improvement of the P-use efficiency in maize.

Physiological and molecular alterations in plants exposed to high [CO2] under phosphorus stress.

Atmospheric [CO2] has increased substantially in recent decades and will continue to do so, whereas the availability of phosphorus (P) is limited and unlikely to increase in the future. P is a non-renewable resource, and it is essential to every form of life. P is a key plant nutrient controlling the responsiveness of photosynthesis to [CO2]. Increases in [CO2] typically results in increased biomass through stimulation of net photosynthesis, and hence enhance the demand for P uptake. However, most soils contain low concentrations of available P. Therefore, low P is one of the major growth-limiting factors for plants in many agricultural and natural ecosystems. The adaptive responses of plants to [CO2] and P availability encompass alterations at morphological, physiological, biochemical and molecular levels. In general low P reduces growth, whereas high [CO2] enhances it particularly in C3 plants. Photosynthetic capacity is often enhanced under high [CO2] with sufficient P supply through modulation of enzyme activities involved in carbon fixation such as ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco). However, high [CO2] with low P availability results in enhanced dry matter partitioning towards roots. Alterations in below-ground processes including root morphology, exudation and mycorrhizal association are influenced by [CO2] and P availability. Under high P availability, elevated [CO2] improves the uptake of P from soil. In contrast, under low P availability, high [CO2] mainly improves the efficiency with which plants produce biomass per unit P. At molecular level, the spatio-temporal regulation of genes involved in plant adaptation to low P and high [CO2] has been studied individually in various plant species. Genome-wide expression profiling of high [CO2] grown plants revealed hormonal regulation of biomass accumulation through complex transcriptional networks. Similarly, differential transcriptional regulatory networks are involved in P-limitation responses in plants. Analysis of expression patterns of some typical P-limitation induced genes under high [CO2] suggests that long-term exposure of plants to high [CO2] would have a tendency to stimulate similar transcriptional responses as observed under P-limitation. However, studies on the combined effect of high [CO2] and low P on gene expression are scarce. Such studies would provide insights into the development of P efficient crops in the context of anticipated increases in atmospheric [CO2].

Ultra high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method for the simultaneous determination of multiple bioactive constituents in fruit extracts of Myristica fragrans and its marketed polyherbal formulations using a polarity switching technique.

Fruits of Myristica fragrans Houtt. are the source of two valuable spices: nutmeg and mace, traditionally used for its flavoring and medicinal properties and found as an ingredient in many marketed polyherbal formulations and food products. In this study, a sensitive and efficient ultra high performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the rapid determination of 16 bioactive constituents in different parts of the fruit of M. fragrans and its marketed polyherbal formulations using a polarity switching technique. Chromatographic separation was achieved on an Aquity UPLC BEH C18 column in 9.4 min. Quantitative analysis was performed using multiple reaction monitoring mode with continuous polarity switching in a single analysis. The developed method was found to be accurate with overall recovery in the range from 95.95 to 102.07% (RSD ≤ 1.91%), precise (RSD ≤ 1.98%), and linear (r(2) ≥ 0.9992) over the concentration range of 0.1-200 ng/mL. Quantitative analysis indicated that the total content of the 16 bioactive constituents was highest in the mace of M. fragrans. Thus, this rapid and sensitive method could be utilized as a promising reference method for the quality control of M. fragrans and its marketed herbal formulations/food products.

Root carboxylate exudation capacity under phosphorus stress does not improve grain yield in green gram.

Genetic variability in carboxylate exudation capacity along with improved root traits was a key mechanism for P-efficient green gram genotype to cope with P-stress but it did not increase grain yield. This study evaluates genotypic variability in green gram for total root carbon exudation under low phosphorus (P) using (14)C and its relationship with root exuded carboxylates, growth and yield potential in contrasting genotypes. Forty-four genotypes grown hydroponically with low (2 µM) and sufficient (100 µM) P concentrations were exposed to (14)CO2 to screen for total root carbon exudation. Contrasting genotypes were employed to study carboxylate exudation and their performance in soil at two P levels. Based on relative (14)C exudation and biomass, genotypes were categorized. Carboxylic acids were measured in exudates and root apices of contrasting genotypes belonging to efficient and inefficient categories. Oxalic and citric acids were released into the medium under low-P. PDM-139 (efficient) was highly efficient in carboxylate exudation as compared to ML-818 (inefficient). In low soil P, the reduction in biomass was higher in ML-818 as compared to PDM-139. Total leaf area and photosynthetic rate averaged for genotypes increased by 71 and 41 %, respectively, with P fertilization. Significantly, higher root surface area and volume were observed in PDM-139 under low soil P. Though the grain yield was higher in ML-818, the total plant biomass was significantly higher in PDM-139 indicating improved P uptake and its efficient translation into biomass. The higher carboxylate exudation capacity and improved root traits in the later genotype might be the possible adaptive mechanisms to cope with P-stress. However, it is not necessary that higher root exudation would result in higher grain yield.

Characteristic differences in metabolite profile in male and female plants of dioecious Piper betle L.

Piper betle is a dioecious pan-Asiatic plant having cultural and medicinal uses. It belongs to the family Piperaceae and is a native of the tropics although it is also cultivated in subtropical areas. Flowering in P. betle occurs only in tropical regions. Due to lack of inductive floral cycles the plant remains in its vegetative state in the subtropics. Therefore, due to lack of flowering, gender distinction cannot be made the in the subtropics. Gender distinction in P. betle in vegetative state can be made using Direct Analysis in Real Time Mass Spectroscopy (DARTMS), a robust highthroughput method. DARTMS analysis of leaf samples of two male and six female plants showed characteristic differences in the spectra between male and female plants. Semi-quantitative differences in some of the identified peaks in male and female landraces showed gender-based differences in metabolites. Cluster analysis using the peaks at m/z 151, 193, 235 and 252 showed two distinct clusters of male and female landraces. It appears that male and female plants besides having flowers of different sexes also have characteristic differences in the metabolites representing two metabolic types.

DART MS based chemical profiling for therapeutic potential of Piper betle landraces.

Piper betle Linn. leaves are traditionally used as a folk medicine in India and other Asiatic countries. Twenty-one P. betle landraces were analyzed using a Direct Analysis in Real Time (DART) mass spectral technique and evaluated on the basis of molecules detected in the leaves. Clustering of landraces based on three well known biologically active phenols (m/z 151,165,193) showed two broad groups with high and low phenol contents suggesting differences in their therapeutic potential. Findings of this study could be useful in rapid screening of the landraces for determining their medicinal potential and optimum utilization of the bioresource.