Morpho-molecular Characterization of local Genotypes of Hyppophae rhamnoides L. ssp. Turkestanica a Multipurpose Plant from Northern Areas of Pakistan

Research Article

**Morpho-molecular Characterization of local Genotypes of Hyppophae rhamnoides L. ssp. Turkestanica a Multipurpose Plant from Northern Areas of Pakistan**

Seabuckthorn is one of the most important multipurpose plants having great value in medicines, health food, beverages, spray dried and freeze-dried powder, additives, cosmetics, as nitrogen fixer, fodder for livestock’s and a tool for the control of soil erosion under degraded soil conditions. The plant can withstand extremes of the temperature ranging from 55°C(surface) to -43°C and grow well under drought conditions of about 250-800mm annual rainfall. It also withstands the soil pH from 5.8 to 9.5. Seabuckthorn thus can prove to be an effective plant for ecological purposes and economic activity for mountain communities. The present investigation was to identify the potential genotypes of Seabuckthorn for breeding better varieties in terms of fruit yield, fruit quality, nitrogen fixing ability and better adaptation in various agro-ecological zones of mountains of Pakistan. The initial investigation carried out at UCA Rawalakot included the collection of basic information regarding the cultivation and genetic diversity of the Seabuckthorn among the local genotypes based on morph-molecular tools consisting of phenotypic characters and the genotypic characters using SDS-PAGE. The phenotypic as well as genotypic studies revealed greater variation among the local genotypes with immense potential for future improvement using conventional breeding techniques. The general information revealed its potential to cultivate the plant directly without improvement under degraded soils of Azad Kashmir and elsewhere. However, in order to improve it’s nutritional, medicinal and nitrogen fixing qualities and to breed thornless varieties for smooth harvesting, some conventional and non-conventional plant improvement techniques would be more meaningful.

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S. D. Ahmad and M. Kamal, 2002. Morpho-molecular Characterization of local Genotypes of Hyppophae rhamnoides L. ssp. Turkestanica a Multipurpose Plant from Northern Areas of Pakistan. Journal of Biological Sciences, 2: 351-354.

DOI: 10.3923/jbs.2002.351.354

URL: https://scialert.net/abstract/?doi=jbs.2002.351.354

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S. D. Ahmad

M. Kamal

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Research Article

**Morpho-molecular Characterization of local Genotypes of Hyppophae rhamnoides L. ssp. Turkestanica a Multipurpose Plant from Northern Areas of Pakistan**

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