| Abstract:Objective: To compare the agronomic traits and major active component contents of Salvia miltiorrhiza materials from different origins under unified cultivation and management conditions, and to conduct comprehensive evaluation and screening.Methods: S. miltiorrhiza materials collected from multiple origins, together with three batches of closely related wild control materials, were studied. Key root agronomic traits, including fresh root weight, root length, coarse root diameter, phloem-to-xylem ratio, root number, and tertiary root number, were measured. The contents of sodium danshensu, salvianolic acid B, cryptotanshinone, tanshinone I, and tanshinone IIA were determined by ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC), and the total tanshinone content (sum of cryptotanshinone, tanshinone I, and tanshinone IIA) was calculated. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, cluster analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) were performed. Key variables were further screened using variable importance in projection (VIP), and a six-index comprehensive evaluation system was established based on fresh root weight, tertiary root number, phloem-to-xylem ratio, sodium danshensu, salvianolic acid B, and total tanshinone content, followed by entropy-weighted Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) analysis.Results: Under the same cultivation conditions, significant differences were observed among S. miltiorrhiza materials from different origins. Fresh root weight ranged from 71.85 to 1 146.54 g, salvianolic acid B content ranged from 3.535% to 7.844%, and total tanshinone content ranged from 0.038% to 0.933%. The three batches of closely related wild control materials differed markedly from cultivated S. miltiorrhiza materials in root structural traits and component accumulation patterns. Correlation analysis showed that root structural traits, such as tertiary root number and phloem-to-xylem ratio, were associated with total tanshinone accumulation. PCA and OPLS-DA revealed clear overall differentiation among materials from different origins, while VIP analysis indicated that both active component indices and root structural traits jointly contributed to material variation. In the entropy-weighted TOPSIS evaluation, SD-PYI-01 (Pingyi, Shandong), SD-JCH-01 (Juancheng, Shandong), and SD-YYU-01 (Yiyuan, Shandong) ranked highest in closeness to the ideal solution.Conclusion: Under unified cultivation conditions, S. miltiorrhiza materials from different origins showed significant differences in agronomic traits and major active component contents. Root structural traits can provide useful supplementary information for quality formation analysis and preliminary screening of promising materials. The six-index comprehensive evaluation system established in this study is applicable for screening candidate superior materials from different origins. These promising materials can be further propagated and evaluated for stability, providing a reference for breeding and regional utilization of S. miltiorrhiza. |