Exploration, collection and conservation of genetic resources of Swertia Chirayita in Darjeeling and Sikkim Himalayas

Chirayita (Swertia chirayita) is a medicinal herb from the Himalaya region, classified as critically endangered by the IUCN. Both formal and traditional medical systems have traditionally employed the use of the entire plant to cure a variety of ailments. Six exploration and collections trips were carried out from four districts of Sikkim and two districts of West Bengal in between the years 2016 to 2019 to explore the natural population and to conserve the variability in the field and seed gene bank. The collections were divided into three elevation strata: 1200-1700m, 1800-2300m and above 2400m mean sea level. Among the collected accession, the highest plant height (125.50 cm), number of branches per plant (8.0), number of infloresences per plant (203.6), number of flowers per plant (671.67), fresh weight (113.80 g) and dry weight (57. 28 g) was observed in accession KSC-8 and lowest plant height (62.67cm) was recorded in accession KSC-10. The accession KSC- 4 recorded the highest number of leaves per plant (190). However, the lowest number of leaves per plant (92) was recorded for KSC-22 and number of branches per plant (3.33) for KSC-24. The number of inflorescences per plant, root length and diameter significantly varied with altitude among all the collected accessions. The array of accessions that has been identified will act as a base for future breeding programmes, genetic improvement, and commercial cultivation as well as prospective sources of high-quality germplasm to raise the standards of herbal products and ease pressure on threatened wild populations.