GERMINATION CHARACTERISTICS OF TULIPA L. SPECIES COLLECTED FROM NATURAL HABITATS

Abstract

The present study investigated the germination of seeds from eight species of the genus Tulipa L. collected from their natural habitats. The main objective of the research was to identify the relationship between germination rates and the germination characteristics of wild Tulipa species, as well as to evaluate the effectiveness of cold stratification as a method for overcoming seed dormancy in representatives of this genus. The highest germination rates (85.7–100%) were recorded in Tulipa auliekolica, Tulipa buhseana, Tulipa turgaica, Tulipa altaica, Tulipa schrenkii, Tulipa patens, and Tulipa alberti, with Tulipa buhseana also exhibiting the fastest germination. In contrast, T. biebersteiniana seeds showed low germination (17.5–66.6%) and weak germination energy. It was found that the onset of germination varied depending on the species and could be observed starting from days 18–23 of stratification. In an experiment conducted under open field conditions, no seed germination was observed due to insufficient moisture, despite natural cold stratification. These results confirm the crucial role of stratification and optimal moisture in seed germination. Furthermore, the ability of Tulipa seeds to maintain viability under unfavorable conditions indicates a pronounced dormancy period, which contributes to population resilience and enables their effective preservation in seed banks.

Key words: Tulipa L., germination, seeds, dormancy, stratification, ephemeral plants