ОСОБЕННОСТИ ЛАТЕНТНОГО ПЕРИОДА МИНДАЛЯ МОНГОЛЬСКОГО И МИНДАЛЯ ЧЕРЕШЧАТОГО

Abstract

Relevance. Many species of the genus Prunus s.l. (Rosaceae) are known for their edible fruit, but they are also of interest for processing into biofuel. Assessment of the quality of reproductive diasporas (the degree of development of the embryo, endosperm, and performance) of wild plant species is an indicator of the prospects for their cultivation. The study of the peculiarities of the latent period gives valuable data for the development of methods for growing potentially useful plant species. The quality of the emerging fruits and seeds of the wild-growing Prunus mongolica Maxim. and P. pedunculata (Pall.) Maxim. has not yet been evaluated. Object. Species of the genus Prunus (Rosaceae) collected in the province of Inner Mongolia (China), which are used for introduction into the Peter the Great Botanical Garden. Materials and methods. Stone fruit of these species were collected in 2015 and 2016 from wild plants in the province of Inner Mongolia, China (70 km northeast of the city of Baotou). Methods of germination and fluoroscopic analysis of drupes were earlier described in detail by K. G. Tkachenko. To measure the germination, the drupes were divided into two groups: the first was cleared from the woody endocarp in order to evaluate the laboratory germination; the second consisted of whole drupes. Both were sown in October into ceramic pots, and buried for the winter in open ground to check the field germination. The germinated sprouts were documented in the early June. X-ray analysis of fruits and seeds was made on a mobile X-ray diagnostic device developed at St. Petersburg Electrotechnical University (LETI). Results and conclusions. The fruits of the two wild almond species P. mongolica and P. pedunculata harvested in their natural habitats (70 km to the north-east from the city of Baotou, Inner Mongolia Province, China) were full-fledged and plump. The main bulk was attributed to the V and IV classes of development. The laboratory germination of seeds freed from endocarp was 100% for both species. Germination of the seeds of the first species was extended in time (100% sprouted in 60 days), while with the second species, all seeds sprouted within 15-20 days. The field germination of unshelled drupes of these species was 57 and 63%, respectively.