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Abstract

Crataegus is highly medicinal plant and a genus of the family Rosaceae, globally distributed in the temperate zones of the northern hemisphere. Diversity, pharmacological aspects, and medical application of Crataegus species from India, Iran, and China have been worked out. But there is a notable knowledge gap in information on the genus Crataegus from the temperate Western Himalayan region of Pakistan. To have a comprehensive diversity look, there is a need for morphogenetic characterization, diversity assessment and preservation of the genus in the region which is the main objective of study. For morphogenetic characterization of genus Crataegus from division Muzaffarabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), characterization was done by field surveys during 2019-22. About 64 Crataegus accessions were assessed by using 8 morphological markers and 15 SSR based DNA markers. Data was analyzed by cluster and PCA and PIC analysis. Five major clusters emerged from the amplification morphological markers and six clusters based on SSR markers showing clear difference of markers choice. The current study also identified that the Crataegus genus is disappearing from the area because of anthropogenic impact, including deforestation, urbanization, agricultural practices, and unawareness about its importance. Further SSR based polymorphism is not sufficient as seen in PCR results and low PIC values indicating that deforestation and anthropogenic activities contribute to lowering the polymorphism. In conclusion the Crataegus populations in study areas are facing anthropogenic pressure and disappearing by overexploitation.

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