A research on the propagation of mountain tea (Sideritis stricta Boiss. & Heldr) with seed and stem cuttings

Mountain Tea (Sideritis stricta), which is collected wild from nature, is an endemic species that grows especially in the natural flora of the Mediterranean and Aegean regions and is widely used as tea and spice. From Sideritis species found in Turkey, S. stricta's production has not yet reached the desired level. One of the most important reasons is that seeds are difficult to germinate. Various studies are carried out in order to increase the germination success of seeds. In this study, the germination problems of S. stricta seeds were addressed and physiological deficiencies, environmental conditions and physical barriers that prevent seed germination were investigated. In addition, cuttings of plants were used in order to ensure material continuity against the possibility of seeds not germinating, to obtain new plants in a short time and to determine the most useful method in cultivation. This study will be an important resource as S. stricta is an endemic species and the demand for the plant increases rapidly with each passing year. In the research, two different methods were used on the propagation of S. stricta by seeds and cuttings. In the study conducted with seeds, the germination of S. stricta seeds in different environments and conditions was investigated, and two different trials were made on this. In the first trial, the seeds were placed on germination paper, soak in gibberellic acid (200 ppm GA3, 2 hours), cold stratification (+ 4C, 5 hours), cold stratification (+4C, 5 hours) Then, three different applications, namely soaking in gibberellic acid (200 ppm GA3, 2 hours), and in the second experiment, two different applications, germination in MS0 and ½ MS media, were applied. In the study with stem cuttings, 3 applications were made: dipping the cuttings in 500 ppm IBA (Indole Butyric Acid), Chryzopon Rose in 0.1% and control. As a result; in the work with seeds regardless of the seed age, it has been determined that GA3 application is an effective method that can be used to increase the germination of the endemic Sideritis stricta plant and the most suitable germination occurs in Murashige and skoog (MS0) medium. KEYWORDS: Cold Stratification, Gibberellic Acid, Indol Butyric Acid, Seed Germination, Sideritis stricta , Stem Cuttings