2019 ASHS Annual Conference

Naturally occurring variants and mutants have been widely used for improving agronomic and horticultural value of crops. However, information regarding the use of variants and mutants for improving nutraceutical and pharmaceutical value of medicinal plants is limited. In this presentation, we report the exploitation of naturally occurring variants for improving health benefits in Lonicera japonica and L. macranthoides. Flowers of Lonicera have been used to produce flos lonicera, which has been used as a popular traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of year. We will discuss the isolation and identifications of variants from the two species in the regions of their origination, their phenotypic characteristics, flower yield, and key compounds, particularly chlorogenic acid as it has multiple pharmacological actions including antioxidation, anti-bacteria, antivirus, anti-inflammatory, and anti-liver fibrosis. Our results suggest that the centers for crop plants' origination and domestication are the centers for valuable genetic resources. Exploring and exploiting the genetic resources could lead to identification of valuable variants or mutants that have enhanced nutraceutical and pharmaceutical value for commercial application.