A First Report of Albinism in Legume Medicinal Shrub of Cassia auriculata L

Abstract

The Multipurpose legume species are deliberately associated with the agricultural environment because of their specific use. Cassia auriculata, L., is one of the important dye yielding as well as medicinal plants in India. This is an indigenous perennial leguminous shrub; growing semi-arid region and having high tolerant capacity compare other cassia species. It is commonly grown in entire Aravalli hill tracts of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra widely used as traditional medicine to cure diabetics by the rural peoples in India. The normal seedlings were compared with albino seedlings with regards to growth trait. Albinism in plants is characterized by a lack of chlorophyll in normally green tissues. It is characterized by partial or complete loss of chlorophyll pigments and incomplete differentiation of chloroplast membranes. This in turn impairs photosynthesis and the plants eventually die at a young stage without reaching maturity. Albino seedlings in perennial shrubs are rare occurrence because Cassia auriculata is cross-pollinated species and it is pollinated by a wide variety of insects and sunbirds. However, such seedlings can be used as a genetic marker for the estimation of mutation or natural mating and selfing in species if one is able to identify such genotypes which are carrier for albinism.