Variation in morphological, biochemical and antioxidant properties of Lilium polyphyllum

Lilium polyphyllum D.Don ex Royle belonging to family Liliaceae is a medicinal plant distributed in temperate to high altitude regions of Himalaya. Its bulbs have been used for anti-aging and vitality properties in >30 formulations of Ayurveda.Therefore, the knowledge on various traits of the plant is necessary so that quality of the finished products could be maintained. Present study investigates, morphological, biochemical and antioxidant properties in different populations of L. polyphyllum. A significant variation was recorded in different morphological parameters (Plant height, leaf number, leaf length, leaf width, bulb diameter, bulb fresh weight). Variation was also recorded for total soluble protein (7.81-11.35 mg/g), soluble sugar (96.14-116.14 mg/g), starch (116.37-122.43 mg/g) and total free amino acid (18.22-26.00 mg/g). Antioxidant properties in the bulb were determined and ABTS activity was 4.22 mM /100 g, DPPH activity recorded 0.85 mM/100 g and FRAP activity was 1.50 mM/100 g dw ascorbic acid equivalent, respectively. The diversity in wild populations of the species may serve as a baseline data for future breeding, domestication and conservation program.