Seed productivity and reproduction features of Schisandra chinensis under conditions of the M.M. Gryshko National Botanical Garden

Abstract

Data on seed productivity and peculiarities of reproduction of Schisandra chinensis under the conditions of introduction at the M.M. Gryshko National Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NBG) are discussed. The study was carried out in 2016–2018 on experimental fields and in the NBG laboratory using plants and seeds of Ukrainian selection S. chinensis ‘Sadovyi-1’. Sections were examined with the microscope Carl Zeiss STEMI 2000-S. Qualitative and quantitative composition of higher fatty acids has been identified by НР-6890 chromatograph. It was found that S. chinensis of local reproduction have a much lower percentage of the seeds without embryo (about 10 %) compared to those of natural origin (30–90 %). Because of long-term storage of S. chinensis seeds the biochemical transformations take place: the content of fats and proteins decreased from 37.5 to 28.0 %, and from 19.7 to 11.2 %, respectively, the acid number of oil increased from 2.42 to 5.70 mg KOH/g, and its iodine value decreased from 32.5 to 30.3 g І₂ / 100 g after storage of seeds during ten months. Fatty oil of S. chinensis seeds has a high linoleic acid content, which reaches 80–81.1 % of the total content of fatty acids. The storage of seeds under different illumination and temperature conditions resulted in minor changes in the acid number of the oil and the quantitative content of fatty acids. The optimal storage conditions of seeds (without access to light and at the temperature of +4 °С) were determined. Such storage conditions reduce the intensity of oxidative processes in the seeds, ensuring the highest germination rate. The optimal ways of S. chinensis reproduction by seeds are the spring sowing of stratified seeds and autumn sowing of freshly reaped seeds, which gain natural stratification. Using these ways resulted in 65 % and 63 % of seeds germination, respectively.