Genetic Analysis of Thai Centella asiatica Germplasm for Morphological, Biomass, and Centelloside Traits

Jareerat Chunthawodtiporn, Thongchai Koobkokkruad, Samart Wanchana, Theerayut Toojinda, Paradee Thammapichai, Vinitchan Ruanjaichon and Kanokwan Romyanon ()
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Jareerat Chunthawodtiporn: Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900, Thailand
Thongchai Koobkokkruad: Nanolife and Cosmeceuticals Research Team, National Nanotechnology Center, National Science and Technology Development Agency, Thailand Science Park, Klong Nueng, Klong Luang, Pathum Thani 12120, Thailand
Samart Wanchana: National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency, Thailand Science Park, Klong Nueng, Klong Luang, Pathum Thani 12120, Thailand
Theerayut Toojinda: National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency, Thailand Science Park, Klong Nueng, Klong Luang, Pathum Thani 12120, Thailand
Paradee Thammapichai: Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900, Thailand
Vinitchan Ruanjaichon: National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency, Thailand Science Park, Klong Nueng, Klong Luang, Pathum Thani 12120, Thailand
Kanokwan Romyanon: National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency, Thailand Science Park, Klong Nueng, Klong Luang, Pathum Thani 12120, Thailand

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 17, 1-18

Abstract: Centella asiatica (L.) Urban or Asiatic pennywort is an important medicinal plant used in traditional medicine, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries; it is also an indigenous vegetable in Asian countries. A total of 169 Centella accessions were collected from all regions of Thailand and assessed for 29 traits, including morphological traits, plant biomass, and centelloside contents. Experiments were conducted in two growing systems, soil and hydroponics, with two harvests every month. The centelloside concentrations were determined by high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) procedure. Analysis of variance (ANOVA), correlation matrix, genetic parameters, principal component analysis (PCA), and hierarchical clustering were determined both across all environments and for each growing system separately. The ANOVA revealed significant differences in genotypes and growing systems, along with their interactions. Hydroponic culture produced three- to four-fold higher biomass than soil system while triterpenoid sapogenin concentrations were notably greater in hydroponics. Biomass-related traits showed strong positive correlations with centelloside yields, and genetic analyses revealed moderate to high heritability for these characteristics. PCA and cluster analyses classified accessions into four distinct groups, identifying elite genotypes with both high biomass and centelloside yield. These findings provide a solid foundation for targeted selection in Centella breeding programs.

Keywords: Centella asiatica; centellosides; morphological; yield; hydroponic; soil; genetic diversity; heritability; principal component analysis; selection (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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