Seed sowing quality and productivity of Bunias orientalis when grown in the middle taiga subzone of the Komi Republic

Abstract

Hill mustard (Bunias orientalis L.) is a perennial herbaceous plant. In the last decades the interest of Russian scientists to the cultivation of this species as fodder plant has considerably increased. Scientific literature contains a significant amount of data about the prospects of its use, longevity, productivity and quality of above-ground mass. The cultivation of hill mustard in the nursery of the Botanical garden of the Institute of biology Komi SC UB RAS also indicates preconditions of its introduction. Before using this rare plant in culture in the North it is necessary to study the possibilities of its seeds. The article presents the research results of seed quality and seed yield of hill mustard conducted in 2008 - 2010 in the middle taiga subzone of the Komi Republic. It has been shown that individual plants of hill mustard annually form fertile seeds. Laboratory germination ability is low and amounts to 3.1%; in the field conditions it varies from 38 to 53% depending on the terms of sowing. Optimal time of seed sowing is autumn. To create sustainable long-lived plants for seeds spaced planting (60x60, 60x45 cm) should be used. The maximum seed productivity was obtained from plants of a third year of life, grown on an area of 60x30 cm (212.7 g/m²), when the average area for perennials is 120-130 g/m². Potential and real seed productivity is high; the proportion of fruit reaches 42-71%, depending on a plant age and seasonal weather conditions. Thus, there is stable assurance of producing seeds and creation of reserve seeds with a storage life of up to three years of perennial species of hill mustard in the middle taiga subzone of the Komi Republic.