Uncarina roeosliana Rauh ontomorphogenesis in early stages of development

Abstract

The aim. To find out the morphology of the seeds and the features of its germination and to study the development of Uncarina roeoesliana Rauh (Pedaliaceae) plants in the early stages of ontogeny in connection with the problem of a seed germination and their cultivation under introduction.Materials and methods. The latent and pregenerative periods of the ontomorphogenesis of Uncarina roeoesliana plants under growing conditions in the protected soils of the Botanical garden named after acad. O.V. Fomin were investigated. Biomorphological, introducting, histological methods were used in this work.Results. A method of accelerating the germination of freshly harvested seeds has been developed. Uncarina roeoesliana seeds are large (about 7x5 mm), mostly wide-triangular, brown in colour with little-noticed wing around the perimeter of the seed. The dorsal side forms folds, the hem is on the micropillary part of the seed. The periclinal walls are convex and often with papillae. The embryo is large, occupies most of the seed, the endosperm has a lot of lipids, which is typical for the representative of the same family Sesamum indicum L. The presence of papillae probably contributes to the moisture accumulation to increase the enzymatic activity when the seeds are swell. All of these features of seed germination are consistent with the environmental conditions of Uncarina's natural habitats: high temperatures, low rainfall and significant dry periods. Probably the plants of this species belong to macrobiotics, that is, they can retain seed germination for a long time. The germination is aboveground. During the 24 weeks of development, the plants reach the virginal stage of development: they form radish roots, 5-6 pairs of leaves, of which only two pairs remain in the young plants at this stage, and a thickened basal part of the stem .Conclusions. Comparing Uncarina roeoesliana with other caudiciform plants, we can conclude that this plant has a high potential for survival in arid conditions due to the ability of seeds to germinate only in conditions of considerable moisture and the ability of the plant to accumulate moisture in the basal part of the stem and in fleshy roots. In this case, the plant is adapted to exist both in the mode of a dormancy and in the mode of an active growth, but in the latter case only in the presence of sufficient moisture in the soil