Comparative assessment of morphological, physiological and phytochemical attributes of cultivated Valeriana jatamansi Jones in Uttarakhand, West Himalaya.

Medicinal plants are global sources of herbal products, drugs, and cosmetics. They are disappearing rapidly due to anthropogenic pressure, overexploitation, unsustainable harvesting, lack of knowledge on cultivation, and the availability of quality plating materials. In this context, standardized in-vitro propagation protocol was followed to produce Valeriana jatamansi Jones, and transferred in two locations at Kosi-Katarmal (GBP) Almora (1200 masl) and Sri Narayan Ashram (SNA) Pithoragarh (Altitude 2750 masl), Uttarakhand. Over the three years of growth, plants were gathered from both locations for determining biochemical and physiological parameters, and growth performance. The plants growing at Sri Narayan Ashram (SNA) showed considerably (p < 0.05) higher amounts of polyphenolics, antioxidant activities, and phenolic compounds. Similarly, physiological parameters (transpiration 0.004 mol m-2 s-1; photosynthesis 8.20 µmol m-2 s-1; stomatal conductance 0.24 mol m-2 s-1), plant growth performance (leaves number 40, roots number 30, root length 14 cm) and soil attributes (total nitrogen 9.30; potassium 0.025; phosphorus 0.34 mg/g, respectively) were found best in the SNA as compared to GBP. In addition, moderate polar solvent (i.e., acetonitrile and methanol) was found suitable for extracting higher bioactive constituents from plants. The findings from this study revealed that large-scale cultivation of V. jatamansi should promote at higher elevation areas such as Sri Narayan Ashram to harness the maximum potential of the species. Such a protective approach with the right interventions will be helpful to provide livelihood security to the local populace along with quality material for commercial cultivation. This can fulfill the demand through regular supply of raw material to the industries and simultaneously promote their conservation.

Source-dependent variation in phenolic compounds and antioxidant activities of Prinsepia utilis Royle fruits.

Prinsepia utilis, a wild-growing Himalayan shrub, is a good source of phytoceuticals, cosmeceuticals, and antioxidants. The present study is an attempt to investigate the effect of altitude and edaphic factors on phenolics and antioxidant activity in fruit pulp of Prinsepia utilis. The ripened fruits and soil samples were collected for detailed investigation. The fruits (pulp) were extracted in methanol for analyzing total phenolics and antioxidant activity using a spectrophotometric method and phenolic compounds by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Similarly, standard methods for soil analysis were used. Results reveal that altitude negatively correlated with total phenolics and flavonoid contents determined by a spectrophotometric method and with specific phenolic compounds determined by HPLC. For instance, Dwarahat population (PU-1) at lower altitude (1400 m asl) exhibited higher values of total phenolics and flavonoids, while total tannin was higher at Nainital (PU-6) population (2000 m asl). The antioxidant activity measured by 2, 2-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) was found higher in Narayan Ashram (PU-9) population (2750 m asl), while ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) was significantly higher in Badechena (PU-2) population (1600 m asl). Soil nutrients (edaphic factors) showed a good correlation among measured parameters. Neighbor-joining and principal component analysis identified phenolics and antioxidant-rich populations that can be utilized for collection of fruits from these populations.

Physiological and metabolic changes in two Himalayan medicinal herbs under drought, heat and combined stresses.

Valeriana jatamansi Jones and Hedychium spicatum Ham-ex-Smith are important medicinal herbs of the Himalayan region, which are highly demanded by pharmaceutical industries. Climatic variability especially increasing temperature and water deficit affects the growth and productivity of these species. In addition, increased temperature and water deficit may trigger the biosynthesis of medicinally important bioactive metabolites, which influence the quality of raw plant material and finished products. Therefore, V. jatamansi and H. spicatum plants were undertaken and subjected to different levels of drought (no irrigation), heat (35 °C), and combined stresses for investigating their physiological and metabolic responses. Both the treatments (individually and in combination) reduced relative water content, photosynthesis, carboxylation efficiency, chlorophyll content, while increased intracellular CO2, malondialdehyde and H2O2 content in both the species. Transpiration and stomatal conductance increased under heat and reduced under drought stress as compared to control. Water use efficiency was found to be increased under drought, while reduced under heat stress. Protein, proline, carotenoid content and antioxidant enzymes activities (superoxide dismutase, peroxidise, catalase) initially increased and thereafter decreased during late stages of stress. Exposure of plants to combined stress was more detrimental than individual stress. In V. jatamansi, exposure to drought stress significantly (p < 0.05) increased valerenic acid content in all plant parts (1.0-6.9 fold) with maximum increase after 20 days of exposure, while under heat stress, valerenic acid content increased (1.0-1.2 fold) in belowground part of V. jatamansi, and decreased (1.1-1.3 fold) in aerial part as compared to control. In H. spicatum, exposure of individual heat stress for 25-30 days and combined stress for 5-15 days significantly (p < 0.05) increased linalool content to 6.2-6.5 fold and 8.3-19.6 fold, respectively, as compared to control. Higher accumulation of bioactive compounds after exposure to mild stress provides encouraging prospects for enhancing pharmaceutical properties of these Himalayan herbs. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-021-01027-w.