Cymbopogon winterianus Jowitt is an industrially important crop due to its value in the aromatic, perfumery and pharmaceutical industries. In this study, 72 accessions of C. winterianus were selected for molecular diversity analysis using SSR markers. It revealed a total of 65 polymorphic alleles showing an average of 68.10% polymorphism. The best SSR primer with competency in discriminating the germplasm was 3CM0506 with PIC (0.69), MI (0.69) and Rp (3.12). Genetic variation was studied between Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh populations. A dendrogram based on the Neighbour-Joining Method showed clustering of germplasm on the collection site. A total of six relevant genetic populations were identified through a structure harvester software analysis. Moreover, a dendrogram based on similarity, complete linkage and Euclidean distance was also elucidated differentiating the genotypes with respect to the major phytochemical constituents of the essential oil. GC-FID and GC-MS analyses of the essential oil of the 72 germplasms revealed citronellal content from 2.58-51.45%, citronellol from 0.00-26.39% and geraniol from 0.00-41.15%. This is the first molecular diversity report with 72 accessions of C. winterianus collected from the NE region using 28 SSR primers as well as their diversity based on phytochemical markers. This diversity computation will help with acquisition of the knowledge and relationship among each individual accession leading to the development of improved and essential oil component-rich cultivars.
Keywords: C. winterianus; Euclidean distance; N-J Method; molecular diversity; phytochemical diversity.