Konkan’s Curcuma: Insights Into Morphological and Genetic Diversity, Phytochemical Treasures, and In-Vitro Micropropagation

Curcuma sp., a genus of the Zingiberaceae family, is known for its diverse medicinal properties and is widely distributed across India, particularly in the Konkan region of Maharashtra. These varieties, historically used in Ayurveda and traditional medicine, contribute significantly to the medicinal practices of tribal people. Most of them are categorized as endangered, wild, and endemic. They grow well in shaded areas with sandy soil, exhibiting wide geographical distribution and cytological, morphological, and genetic variations, including gene sequence, chromosome number, and genome size. DNA fingerprinting techniques utilizing different molecular markers such as Microsatellites (SSR), Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD), and Inter Simple Sequence Repeats (ISSR) have been implemented in the recent past to document the genetic diversity among wild varieties of Curcuma such as C. zedoaria, C. pseudomontana, C. inodora, C. amada, etc. Micropropagation studies are also conducted as an efficient method of propagation as many wild Curcuma sp. are endangered or on the verge of extinction. This chapter emphasizes the medicinal as well as economic importance of wild Curcuma sp. Additionally, it compiles the information available on biodiversity among Curcuma sp., their phytochemical composition, and micropropagation studies of wild Curcuma sp., in the Konkan of Maharashtra.