Khaleefa Aslam et al/International Journal of Advances in Scientific Research 2015; 1(02): 93-101. 93 IJASR|VOL 01|ISSUE 02|2015 www.ssjournals.com International Journal of Advances in Scientific Research ISSN: 2395-3616 (Online) Journal DOI: 10.7439/ijasr Research Article Altitudinal variation in some phytochemical constituents and stomatal traits of Primula denticulata Khaleefa Aslam *1 , Irshad A. Nawchoo 1 and Bashir A. Ganai 2 1 Department of Botany, University of Kashmir, Srinagar- 190006, J&K, India. 2 Centre of Research for Development (CORD), University of Kashmir, Srinagar- 190006, J&K, India. *Correspondence Info: Khaleefa Aslam Department of Botany, University of Kashmir, Srinagar- 190006, J&K, India. E-mail: khaleefabhat@gmail.com Abstract Due to extensive medicinal importance and wide distributional range of Primula denticulata Sm., locally known as Doker-neej (Kashmiri) of family Primulaceae, in Kashmir valley, the present investigation was carried out to study the variations in phenology, stomatal traits and content of phytochemicals of the species in relation to altitude. During the present investigation, trends in the stomatal traits which include: stomatal density, length and breadth of guard cells and potential conductance index (PCI) along an altitudinal gradient were analyzed by using standard methods. Samples from different populations with varying altitudes were also subjected to qualitative and quantitative estimation for the presence of various phytochemicals by using various spectrophotometric techniques. It was observed that mean values of the analyzed stomatal traits in the four populations varied significantly (p≤0.05) across the populations. Phytochemicals such as phenols, tannins, alkaloids and saponins were present in all the sampled populations but their quantity varied significantly across the populations. This assessing of phytochemical content of plants at varying altitudes can help to select elite genotype and reflect the best suited altitude for commercial cultivation of the species as these phytochemicals are considered as the basis for their medicinal activity. Keywords: Primula denticulata, phytochemicals, stomatal traits 1. Introduction Biosynthesis of the secondary metabolites in plants is not only controlled genetically, but is also strongly affected by different biotic and abiotic stresses[1]. In different ecological niches, plants behave differently in terms of biochemical aspects in order to better adapt to their environment. This broad range of environmental factors across altitude thus affects the chemical composition and, ultimately the survival of medicinal plants in such regions. Thus the stress conditions affects secondary metabolites or so called active ingredients and other compounds that plants produce, which are usually the basis for their medicinal activity[2]. Plants at various altitudes can adapt by avoiding and overcoming the stress conditions by means of various physiological and biochemical mechanism including evolution of a resistance-conferring genotype, or by improvement of genes which can produce ecologically adapted phenotypes or can have a different response related to their resistance to these stress conditions which depends mainly on the morphology, anatomy and life cycle[3]. Primula denticulata Sm., distributed in the mountain ranges of Kashmir Himalaya is confined to temperate, sub-alpine and alpine regions, grows in early spring in forests, near melting glaciers, moist meadows and grassy slopes, ranging in altitude from 2100 – 4050m asl indicating that the species can tolerate a broad range of environmental conditions. The species grows wild in Kashmir Himalaya and bear remarkable medicinal importance[4]. The chemical profiling of Primula denticulata (Indian anti-snake venom plant) showed presence of Primetin-19 (5, 8-dihydoxyflavone) which posses strong sensitizing properties and is a powerful contact allergen[5]. Due to extensive medicinal importance and wide distributional range of P. denticulata in Kashmir valley, the present investigation was carried out to study the variations in its Phenology, anatomy