Genetic diversity in Terminalia arjuna from the North Western region of Himachal Pradesh, India

Abstract Terminalia arjuna Wight & Arn is used in the Indian traditional medicinal system for the treatment of various cardiac disorders and has been used for the treatment of various human problems like blood diseases, anemia, viral disease, fractures, ulcers, hepatic problems. This study was designed to understand the genetic variation in T. arjuna from different geographical regions of North-west Himalayas. Using the RAPD-PCR method, a total of 183 DNA bands were amplified from 30 accessions of T. arjuna with an average of 6.1 bands per primer. The amplified band size ranges from 150-1700 bp. The Polymorphic Information Content (PIC) value ranges from 0.244 (OPB-10) to 0.781 (OPA-02). The Marker Index (MI) values ranged from 0.6075 to 6.248, with an average of 3.1378. The effective multiplex ratio (EMR) values range from 1.33 (OPC-12) to 9 (OPC-20). A positive correlation was observed between PIC and MI (r = 0.83), MI and EMR (r = 0.873) values. The percentage of polymorphic loci among T. arjuna populations was found to be 71.17%, while AMOVA showed 85% variance within the populations and 15% among the populations. From UPGMA cluster analysis, intermixing of accessions of different populations was observed. This study concludes a genetic variation among different accessions of T. arjuna, indicating good cross-pollination, leading to gene flow between closely located accessions without affecting the gene pool. The genetic diversity information of T. arjuna reported in this study is a very important component for efficient conservation and effective management of its genetic resources.