Identification of elite accession of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera L. Dunal) for root yield and brittleness

Ashwagandha ( Withania somnifera L. Dunal) is a commercially important arid to subtropical type agroecology crop. The field experiments were conducted at ICAR-DMAPR, Anand and ARS, AU, Samdari under agro-climatic zones III and IA, respectively. The impact of both locations was studied and diverse morphotypes of Ashwagandha were evaluated for physical, chemical and molecular parameters due to genotypic traits. The accessions were observed to be eclectic in morphological, molecular and chemical content compared to available checks. Accession DNA-4 is unique for number of branches, dry stem weight, berry size, root weight, number of secondary roots, root size, test weight and root yield. Accession DTWr-1 is unique for crude fiber, starch and total withanolides content. The result obtained from evaluation studies showed that accession DNA-4 will be suitable for the powder industry and the extraction industry might prefer DTWr-1. DTWr-1 and DNA-4 were earnestly performed under both locations. Both the morphotypes with high starch and low crude fibre content roots fetch a premium price under Agro-climatic zone IA and maintain root brittleness suitable for churna and extract preparation. Overall, the region-specific cultivation of selected elites under particular agro-climatic conditions for specific purposes will be promoted. Effect of different agro-ecology on root yield and quality in Ashwagandha • Region-specific cultivation of Ashwagandha plays a major role in yield and quality. • Elites (DNA-4 and DTWr-1) are diverse and can bridge the gap. • These chemotypes with high starch and low crude fibre content fetch a premium price.