ABSTRACT:

Mountain ecosystems are highly vulnerable to climate change, which threatens the survival, distribution, and medicinal properties of indigenous plant species. Indigofera heterantha (I. heterantha), an important Himalayan medicinal shrub, is traditionally used by mountain communities to treat various ailments. The present study was conducted to compare bioactive secondary metabolites and antioxidant activities between wild-grown and in vitro propagated plant materials of  I. heterantha to explore sustainable conservation and climate-resilient utilization strategies for mountain agricultural systems. Young, healthy leaves, flowers, and roots of naturally growing plants, along with shoots and adventitious roots produced through in vitro culture techniques, were analyzed for total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and DPPH radical-scavenging activity (DRSA). Comparatively lower amounts of TPC and TFC were observed in the in vitro propagated plants. The highest total phenolic and flavonoid contents were recorded in root samples collected from the wild habitat, containing 3623.89 and 468.89 µg g⁻¹ dry weight (DW), respectively. Among the in vitro propagated materials, adventitious roots showed relatively higher TPC (2873.89 µg g⁻¹ DW) and TFC (360.81 µg g⁻¹ DW), followed by in vitro-induced roots with TPC and TFC values of 1420.19 and 308.28 µg g⁻¹ DW, respectively. Micro propagated shoots exhibited TPC and TFC values of 114.63 and 201.21 µg g⁻¹ DW, respectively, compared with wild-collected leaves containing 65.56 and 191.11 µg g⁻¹ DW. The highest DPPH radical-scavenging activity (63.43%) was recorded in leaves collected from the natural habitat, whereas in vitro-induced roots showed a DRSA of 46.75%. The lowest DPPH radical scavenging activity (30.63%) was observed in wild-collected root extracts. The findings indicate that environmental conditions and abiotic stresses associated with mountain ecosystems strongly influence secondary metabolite biosynthesis in I. heterantha. The study highlights the importance of integrating plant tissue culture and conservation biotechnology to support the sustainable use and climate-resilient conservation of medicinal plants in mountain agricultural systems.

Keywords: Climate change, Mountain ecosystems, Himalayan medicinal plants, Indigofera heterantha, Medicinal plant, Antioxidant Activity, Total Phenolics, Total Flavonoids,

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