Germinative capacity and germinating power of seeds of the Dianthus ruprechtii wild species

Abstract

The article shows the dynamics of germinative capacity and germinating
power of Dianthus ruprechtii seeds in the laboratory conditions, which grow in the steppe
ecosystems of the Stavropol Territory. The study was conducted during 2013-2021. The seeds
were collected in 2013. Freshly harvested seeds and seeds of different storage periods were
germinated at a temperature of 18-20 C in Petri dishes. It was revealed that freshly harvested
seeds had low germinative capacity and germinating power indicators – 0.4 and 0.2%,
respectively. During seed storage, a change in the nature of seeds germinative capacity and
germinating power was noted. After three months of storage, the laboratory germinative
capacity of seeds reached 90%. Dianthus seeds are characterized by shallow physiological
rest, which is related to the period of after-ripening. The high germinative capacity rate is
maintained for 44 months from the moment of seed collection and reaches its maximum value
(100%). In the eighth year after the collection of Dianthus ruprechtii seeds, the seeds viability
remains, but its relative ratio is significantly reduced to 47%. It was found that freshly
harvested seeds had weak germinating power. After eight months of seed storage, germinating
power increases with a relative ratio of 6,1%. A reliably high qualitative indicator is noted in
seeds with a shelf life of 32 to 44 months. At this time, germinating power rises to 97% and
remains stable for 44 months of storage. During further storage (up to 92 months from the
time of collection), the germinating power, and therefore the seeds viability remains, but there
is a tendency to its decrease. The wild species of the Stavropol flora Dianthus ruprechtii
belongs to plants with high viability, which contributes to the regular regeneration of this
species in the natural population. The revealed biological features of the seeds of Dianthus
ruprechtii can become the scientific basis for the preservation and improvement of naturalanthropogenic landscapes.