Abstract
Native to eastern Iraq and western Iran, Alcea kurdica is a highly polymorphic species with a variety of bioactivities, such as immunomodulatory, enzyme-regulating, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties. Its rich phytochemical profile, which includes flavonoids, phenolic compounds, coumarins, triterpenoids, alkaloids, acidic polysaccharides (like pectins and mucilage), scopoletin, asparagine, tannins, steroidal constituents, proteins, and vital mineral elements, is largely responsible for these qualities. In order to find desirable features for upcoming breeding initiatives and therapeutic uses, the morphological and phytochemical diversity of seven A. kurdica populations was assessed in this work. Total anthocyanin (101.5%), flower dry weight (98.48%), and flower count per plant (88.83%) had the largest coefficient of variance. Out of all the populations under study, AKP2 had the highest bloom dry weight, weighing 16.71 g per plant, while AKP5 had the lowest, weighing 12.79 g per plant. AKP5 and AKP2 populations had the highest levels of mucilage content (23.92% and 15.86%, respectively). From 5.16 mg C3G/g dry weight in AKP3 to 49.68 mg C3G/g dry weight in AKP5, anthocyanin accumulation showed significant variance. Also, the AKP5 population had the highest TPC (23.66 mg GAE/g dry weight), while the AKP2 population had the highest TFC (14.45 mg RE/g dry weight). AKP2 and AKP6 had the highest and lowest total carbohydrate contents, respectively, ranging from 33.64 to 57.41%. The main phenolic chemicals found were apigenin, kaempferol, rutin, and chlorogenic acid. The extraordinary diversity in terms of the studied parameters indicates the ability of different A. kurdica population to be selected and used in breeding, cultivation, and production programs.
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All data produced or examined throughout this research are contained within this article. Any additional inquiries should be directed to the corresponding author.
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The authors are grateful to the Shahid Beheshti University Research Center for their support in providing research facilities.
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Yasaman Mashhadi Tafreshi : Methodology, Carried out field and lab work, Phenotyping, Data curation. Ghasem Eghlima : Sample collection, Supervision, Conceptualization, Methodology, Data curation, Investigation, Formal analysis, Writing-original draft. Ghasem Esmaeili: Writing-review and editing. Javad Hadian : Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing-review and editing. Amira A. Ibrahim: Writing-review and editing.
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Tafreshi, Y.M., Eghlima, G., Esmaeili, G. et al. Agro-morphological and phytochemical diversity among Alcea Kurdica populations using multivariate analyses. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-36183-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-36183-0
