Latent period characteristics of Iris pallasii Fisch. ex Trevir. (Iridaceae)

Background. Species of the genus Iris L. attract the attention of researchers as a source of bioactive compounds promising for the development of medicinal drugs. There are no data on the characteristics of the latent period for Iris pallasii Fisch. ex Trevir. in the flora of Kazakhstan.

Materials and methods. Seeds were collected from 2015 through 2022 in Almaty Region and from plants grown in the medicinal plant collection plot of the Botanical Garden of the Institute of Botany and Phytointroduction. A soft-beam mobile X-ray diagnostic unit was used to assess the quality of I. pallasii seeds. A 0.3% hydrogen peroxide solution, a 0.05% epibrassinolide solution, and Biostim were applied as standard growth stimulants. Control plants were germinated in water only.

Results and discussion. The 1000-seed weight varied slightly within the species, regardless of the origin of seeds: natural I. pallasii seeds weighed from 17.2 to 19.1 g, while introduced plants of this species produced slightly larger seeds, weighing from 18.1 to 19.7 g. Laboratory evaluation of I. pallasii seed germination showed that the use of various growth stimulants contributed to increased germination, which was evident during prolonged seed germination (up to 110 days). The maximum number of germinating seeds was recorded during the 30–40 (up to 80) days of the experiment. However, some seeds (in both the control and experimental plants) germinated only on days 100–110 of the experiment.

Conclusion. I. pallasii produced seeds of varying quality in different years. Under cultivation conditions at the Botanical Garden, they typically produced a higher percentage of mature, viable seeds with high, long-lasting germination. Growth stimulants increased laboratory seed germination by 10–20%. The maximum number of germinating I. pallasii seeds under all experimental conditions, regardless of growing location, was observed between days 40 and 80.

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