Chironji (Buchanania cochinchinensis) is an indigenous tree species of Indian subcontinent which belongs to the Anacardiaceae family. It has tremendous potential to uplift the socio-economic status of village dwellers and tribal people. It is used for various purposes including fruits, fuel, fodder and medicines. The species is facing severe ecological and anthropogenic pressures due to indiscriminate harvesting and illicit felling. IUCN has designated Chironji as a vulnerable species indicating that it may be on the verge of extinction if proper conservation measures are not taken very soon. The reports on its conservation and genetic improvement are very less. Hence, it is needed to devise the strategies to conserve its germplasm and genetically improve the species for higher fruit yield. The genetic diversity present in the species is also needed to be studied for effective conservation. Eco-distribution mapping and Molecular characterization using modern tools like molecular markers can give an accurate idea about the genetic diversity in lesser time and will also help in devising the breeding strategies and conservation of its diverse genotype. This review encompasses the researches done on Chironji till date detailing the importance of its genetic diversity and tries to indicate the future conservation and improvement strategies to be taken to fill up the remaining gaps.

Gmelina arborea Roxb. ex Sm. is a fast-growing, commercially important deciduous tree species with significant potential for agroforestry and afforestation initiatives. However, populations of G. arborea in the Eastern Indian region remain largely uncharacterized in terms of genetic diversity and the species lacks a systematic tree improvement program in this area. The present study was undertaken to analyse the population structure and genetic diversity of G. arborea using molecular markers. In parallel, a germplasm assemblage was initiated through progeny trials to serve as the foundation tree improvement program. A field surveys was conducted over four fruiting seasons (2021–2024) and identified 434 Candidate Plus Trees (CPTs), revealing substantial phenotypic variation in key growth parameters. Three progeny trial-cum-germplasm banks were established with selected accessions for germplasm assemblage and progeny evaluation. Molecular genetic analysis using twelve polymorphic simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers detected 58 alleles (3–7 alleles per locus) with high genetic variability (average gene diversity, H_e = 0.695; polymorphic information content, PIC = 0.643). Bayesian clustering revealed two major genetic lineages correlated with geographical origins, indicating a structured population. The partition of genetic variation through Analysis of Molecular Variance (AMOVA) showed that 92% of genetic variation was within populations (F_ST = 0.077), reflecting moderate genetic differentiation and ongoing gene flow. Overall, the study on population genetics and genetic diversity of G. arborea is important for further conservation decisions and tree improvement programs. Established progeny trials serve as vital conservation repositories, can be converted to seedling seed orchards after long term evaluation and can also serves as a base population for second cycle improvement.