Iron oxyhydroxide effect on rooting of cuttings of Ribes nigrum and Ribes rubrum

This work was aimed at studying the effect of a preparation containing nanoparticles of iron oxyhydroxide on rooting and development of the root system of cuttings of the two plant species sensitive to iron deficiency: Ribes nigrum and Ribes rubrum (Grossulariaceae). Research has shown that the iron oxyhydroxide has an inhibitory effect on the growth and development of the root system of cuttings of black and red currant. When concentration increases from 0.001% to 0.1%, rooting of cuttings decreases, and the Spearman rank correlation shows strong negative dependence of the number of roots and their length on the concentration of the preparation (Rs = -0.83 -0.94...) – the number of roots on cuttings decreases, while in case of the maximum concentration, root length significantly reduces. In the studied concentration, the preparation containing iron oxyhydroxide nanoparticles cannot be used as a stimulant of root formation for rooting of cuttings of black and red currant

The influence of light spectrum on morphogenesis of orchid germs in vitro

The aim of the study is to reveal growth and developments specificities of orchid (Cymbidium hybridum F1) germinant in vitro cultured early in the ontogenesis in relation to various light spectra. Chromatic and achromatic luminous tubes (Philips, TLD 18 W) were used as lighting sources. 4 light patterns were tested: control group - colorless (white) light WL; group 1 - WL with addition of red WL+RL, group 2 - WL and blue WL+BL, group 3 - WL and green WL+GL. The authors showed that during C. hybridum F1cultivation in type breeding ground, morphometric growth indexes of root and leaf and wet weight of germs raised with the increase of red light part in PAR (photosynthetically active radiation) flux, thought stem length was twice bigger under the mix of colorless and green light, and also blue light addition to achromatic emission aided the reduction of germ parameters, in contrast with control group. Growth characteristics of plants, cultivated under photoculture conditions, can be adjusted by light with varied spectral content

Ecological and morphological features of Rhodiola rosea L. in natural populations in the Altai Mountains

The paper presents the results of the comprehensive study of Rhodiola rosea L. in natural populations in the Altai Mountains. The phytocoenotic confinement, demographic structure, and morphological characters of 9 coenopopulations of Rh. rosea were studied in different ecological and coenotic conditions in the Chemal and Kosh-Agach regions of the Republic of Altai. Correlation between the morphometric parameters and their calculated values for the shoot and sex of the studied individuals, as well as environmental factors, was revealed. Rhodiola rosea L. is a valuable medicinal plant used for functional diseases of the central nervous system. At present, the natural reserves and areas of natural growth of the golden root have decreased significantly. The species is included in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation (2008) and many regional Red Data Books of Siberia. In the Altai Mountains, Rh. rosea is widespread throughout the highlands, where it has occupied a wide range of habitats. The study showed that the highest values of ecological and effective density are characteristic of coenopopulations which are part of various hygrophytic variants of alpine and subalpine miscellaneous herbs with a high total projective cover of the herbaceous layer (CP 1, 2, 3, 4). The lowest values were found for coenopopulations growing in communities with a scarce herbaceous layer or dense shrub layer, and on steep gravelly slopes with crumbling soil and nonuniform moisture distribution (CP 5, 6, 8, 9). The studied coenopopulations are normal, full-membered, or incomplete-membered (some of them lack postgenerative individuals). In terms of the ontogenetic spectra, they are mainly left-sided, with a predominance of young generative individuals (CP 4, 5, 7) or bimodal, with an additional peak for old generative individuals (CP 2, 3, 6, 8). Male and female individuals Rh. rosea differ in many morphometric characters of the generative shoots. In some coenopopulations (CP 2, 3, 6, 9), male and female individuals show multidirectional deviation of characters compared to the totality, which indicates that in different environmental conditions these characters are not only genetically determined but can also be related to the sex of individuals

Pollen quality and pollen productivity of blue honeysuckle species and varieties

Studies to assess the pollen quality and pollen productivity of blue honeysuckle were conducted on the ecosystem dendrological territory of the Siberian Botanical garden of TSU (Tomsk). Objects of research: 8 varieties and 4 species of blue honeysuckle – ‘Velvet’, ‘Berel’, ‘Vasyuganskaya’, ‘Zolushka’, ‘Lazurnaya’, ‘Ogneny Opal’, ‘Selena’, ‘Tomichka’, Lonicera altaica, L. edulis, L. kamtschatica, L. turczaninovii. It was found that the ‘Ogneny Opal’ and ‘Velvet’ varieties have low fertility, and the ‘Berel’ and L. edulis have an average fertility. Other varieties and species of honeysuckle have high pollen fertility. The viability of pollen with high values is more than 60 % – ‘Berel’, ‘Vasyuganskaya’, ‘Lazurnaya’, L. turczaninovii, L. kamtschatica, with average values from 40% to 60 % – ‘Selena’, ‘Tomichka’ and L. altaica, with low values – less than 40 % – ‘Velvet’, ‘Zolushka’, ‘Ogneny Opal’ and L. edulis. High pollen productivity – more than 20,000 pollen grains per flower – ‘Tomichka’, L. kamtschatica, L. turczaninovii and L. edulis, average productivity - from 10,000 to 20,000 pollen grains – ‘Berel’, ‘Vasyuganskaya’, ‘Zolushka’, ‘Lazurnaya’, ‘Selena’ and L. altaica, low productivity – less than 10,000 pollen grains per flower – ‘Velvet’, ‘Ogneny Opal’. It is recommended to use at least 10% of varieties with high pollen viability and pollen productivity as pollinators when creating industrial honeysuckle plantations: ‘Lazurnaya’, ‘Vasyuganskaya’, and ‘Berel’

Reproductive biology of a rare species Begonia ludwigii in greenhouse conditions of the Siberian Botanical Garden of Tomsk State University

The paper presents the results of a reproductive biology study and the Begonia ludwigii seasonal development rhythm - a species classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as a rarity category EN (endangered species). The studies have shown that when cultivated in the Tomsk State University Siberian Botanical Garden greenhouse conditions, this species has high potential seed productivity (about 75,000 ovules per inflorescence), high fertility and pollen viability, but at the same time low true seed productivity (seed rate not more than 27%). It was established that the Begonia ludwigii seeds, in the greenhouse conditions, are tied to heterogamous pollination due to the absence of pollinating insects. The use of xenogamous artificial pollination increased the coefficient of seed productivity by almost 3 times. The paper also describes the full seasonal development rhythm, flowering biology, biomorphological features of pollen and seeds