Population genetic structure and diversity analysis in Hedychium coronarium populations using morphological, phytochemical and molecular markers

Hedychium coronarium (Zingiberaceae) is a perennial rhizomatous herb widely used for its aromatic, cosmetic and medicinal value. In the present research, the morphological, phytochemical and molecular diversity was assessed for 50 H. coronarium accessions collected from different states of Eastern India. The accessions were morphologically diverse with leaf number, leaf length, leaf width, rhizome diameter and rhizome dry weight characters showing the highest variation. A total of 44 constituents were identified in the essential oils with β-pinene (11.87–35.16%), eucalyptol (13.12–39.82%), linalool (1.58–41.33%) and coronarin-E (1.14–33.87%) as the predominant constituents. Using 10 Inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR) and 5 Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) primers, a total of 71 and 34 bands were amplified, respectively. The average polymorphism, polymorphic information content, marker index were found to be 86.30%, 0.57, 3.26 and 87.58%, 0.55, 3.01 for ISSR and RAPD markers, respectively. Cluster analysis based on phytochemical and molecular characterization exhibited a clear relationship between diversity pattern and geographical origin. The percentage of variance explained using principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) was 70.31% and 71.91% for ISSR and RAPD markers, respectively. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) analysis revealed high genetic variability occurred among the population than within populations. Bayesian analytical model and cluster analysis showed similar grouping patterns. The findings of the present research revealed a high degree of molecular and phytochemical variation among H. coronarium populations in relation to geographic locations. The results of the present research can be exploited for conservation and breeding programmes of H. coronarium for its genetic improvement.