Epicuticular wax in Asparagus: interspecific and intraspecific variations

Genus Asparagus (Asparagaceae), is a woody, branched, spiny shrub with medicinally important fascicular roots containing steroidal saponins and sapogenins. In the present study, twenty five accessions of Asparagus collected from different regions of India, have been examined.. The micromorphological characters of epicuticular waxes were worked out to elucidate the intra and interspecific variability. The data on quantitative characters exhibited significant intra and interspecific variability, Photomicrographs were obtained through scanning electron microscopy. One way ANOVA depicted significant differences among the genotypes.