BREAKING OF SEED DORMANCY IN HALOPHYTIC ENDEMIC SAP ONARIA HAL PIMA HEDGE & HUB.- MOR

Saponaria halophila Hedge & tub.-Mor. is an endemic plant species rarely spread throughout Turkey. This study was conducted to find out an appropriate method for breaking dormancy of seeds. Following sulphuric acid treatments, the seeds were exposed to six different doses of five plant growth regulators (PGR) BA, [AA, Kn, GA(3), NAA at various temperature regimes (10 - 15, 15 - 20, 20 - 25, 25 - 30 and 30 - 35 degrees C) for 12 hrs light-dark photoperiods. The effects of various doses of different PGRs on germination percentages at certain temperatures were compared. The highest germination ratios for GA3, NAA, IAA, Kn, BA were respectively observed as 83.3% at 50 ppm and 20 - 25 degrees C, 75% at 400 ppm and 20 - 25 degrees C, 65% at 50 ppm and 15 - 25 degrees C, 55% at 25 ppm and 15 - 20 degrees C, and 40% at 50 ppm and 20 - 25 degrees C