Propagation of Centaurea tchihatcheffii seeds collected from different locations

The study aims to determine the seed production potential of seeds collected from two different locations of the endemic and endangered Centaurea tchihatcheffii species belonging to the Asteraceae family, which naturally spreads in Gölbaşı district of Ankara province. With in the scope of the research, seeds collected from the Bahçelievler reserve area in Gölbaşı district of Ankara at the end of the 2023 vegetation period and from a privately owned garden in Eymir Neighborhood were subjected to germination and seedling emergence tests at the beginning of the 2024 vegetation period. To eliminate the germination barrier of C. tchihatcheffii seeds, germination, and seedling emergence tests were carried out after the seeds were soaked in water for 12 and 24 hours. Morphological characteristics such as plant height, number of leaves, leaf length, leaf width, flower diameter, number of branches, and number of flowers were measured in the obtained seedlings after the germination tests on the seeds. In addition, some macro and micro elements such as phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn) and zinc (Zn) were analyzed on the samples. The results showed that the germination rate of seeds collected from Bahçelievler Neighborhood Reserve Area was 3.3 %, observed in the control group and samples kept in water for 24 hours. In the seeds collected from Eymir Neighborhood, the lowest germination rate was observed in samples kept in water for 12 hours at 13.3 %, while the highest germination rate was obtained in the control group at 40 %. While the seedling emergence rate of Bahçelievler seeds was observed as the highest with 16.6 % in samples kept in water for 24 hours, this rate was determined as 86.6 % in the control group in seeds collected from Eymir Neighborhood. The seedling emergence rate varied between 12.7 and 16.2 days. When the morphological measurements of seedlings obtained from seeds collected from both locations were compared, statistically significant differences were detected, especially in plant height with 99.9 %, leaf number, and leaf width with 95 %. This situation reveals that the seedlings obtained from the seeds collected from Eymir Neighborhood showed better development. According to macro and microelement analyses, seedlings obtained from the Bahçelievler Neighborhood have higher macroelement content than those obtained from the Eymir Neighborhood. Significant results were obtained, especially in terms of phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. In Bahçelievler seeds, elements such as iron, copper, manganese, and zinc were observed to be at higher levels. As a result of the study, it was revealed that there were significant problems in terms of germination and plant development, especially in seeds obtained from the reserve area. To eliminate these problems, it is recommended to take precautions regarding both maintenance and genetic continuity.