Masloon a Tea Substitute from Azad Jammu and Kashmir

Masloon (Polygonum Viviparum) a member of Polygonaceae is a native plant from mountainous regions of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The plants are very common in alpine regions and are traditionally used as a tea substitute in remote areas of the region. The plants because of its specific reproductive characteristics have been investigated for its response to global environmental changes but have never been considered for genetic and biochemical characterization. The aim of the present investigation was to compare various ecotypes for their genetic diversity based on morphological and molecular characteristics in relation to the biochemical composition for its commercial value. Eight ecotypes of the plants from variable micro-climatic regions of district Poonch and Sudhnoti were collected and cultivated at the farm of the faculty in triplicate using Randomized Complete Block Design. Morphological characteristics including plant height, number of tillers per plant, number of spikes per main stem, spike length, number of flowers per spike, number of bulbils per spike, time of flowering and bulbils formation, time of bulbils maturation, leaf area, rhizome fresh and dry wt.