ABSTRACT
Many under-utilized crops are being used as medicines for health care all over the world, especially in South Asia. Special features of this group of crops documented regionally are still to be explored for wider utilization for mankind. Other features related to these crops are their adaptability to marginal lands, lack of sharing knowledge due to ethnical and religious complexes. Diversity in Plantago ovata is yet to be explored for exploitation of full yield potential. Quantitative traits are more often considered for breeding value because the end product is more or less affected by the components that make a cause and effect linear relationship. In a biological network of genes for economic traits, screening and identification of promising cultivars is the main objective of any crop improvement programme. A small portion of genetic diversity could be explored through characterization and evaluation, where improvement is mainly based on selection rather than hybridization or mutation. New emerging techniques of biochemical markers, marker assisted breeding and transformation blazed more rapid improvement that is yet to be explored in under-utilized crops. Particularly isabgol is not investigated for its yield potential rather it has been more exploited for its medicinal value.
