Agro morphological, chemical and genetic variability studies for yield assessment in clary sage (Salvia sclarea L.)

• Clary sage is a high value essential oil crop used in perfumery industry and has therapeutic qualities.
• Genotypic and phenotypic parameters of various clary sage accessions were studied.
• In field experiments conducted for three years 12 accession of clary sage were tested under north Indian plains.
• Spike number, spike length, spike weight and essential oil content were found to be most important traits for selection of high oil yielding genotype.
• Accession SS1 was found to be early maturing and higher yielding.

Clary sage (Salvia sclarea L.) is an industrial crop grown for its high value essential oil, widely used in perfumery and cosmetic industries. In the present work, agromorphological characteristics, essential oil content and composition and randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were studied to estimate the relationships among 11 clary sage accessions, with a known variety CIM-Chandni grown in northern Indian plains. The clary sage accessions were distinguished on the basis of agro-morphological traits and essential oil constituents. As a consequence, these were grouped into dwarf, medium and tall; early and late maturing; low, medium and high yielding. Maximum genotypic coefficient of variation was recorded for spike weight plant−1 followed by spike length and plant height. In general, the genotypic correlation was higher than phenotypic. Significant positive genotypic correlation was recorded for plant height with spike length, days to flowering with days to maturity and spike weight plant−1, spike length with oil content. A high direct positive effect on oil content was because of spike length. The variety CIM-Chandni showed genetic similarity with all its progenies except SS1. Accession SS1 selected as a distinct and best performing genotype based on agro-morphic, quantitative, qualitative traits and RAPD profiling.