EFFECT OF DIFFERENT GIBBERELLIC ACID DOSES TREATMENT ON SEED GERMINATION OF WILD SAINFOIN (ONOBRYCHIS VICHFOLIA)

Sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia) subjected to a range of studies relating to agronomy, environmental preferences, crop protection and plant-microbial interactions, is an important forage species in agriculture, that be prefered by farmers than other forage legumes. This fact has give importance to breeding of this plant for the development of diverse varieties and so for this purpose many wild forms are cultivated. The most important problem in sainfoin cultivation is poor germination problem in wild species. With the aim of solving this problem, we carried out to evaluate the response of wild sainfoin seeds to the application of different gibberellic acid (GA3) (a germination hormone) concentration in vitro conditions. Five levels of gibberellic acid (100, 250, 500, 1000 and 1500 ppm) was used in the test. Seed coat was removed and the seeds were placed on Murashige&Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with gibberellic acid (GA3) and kept under these conditions for 46 days. Seed germination percentage and germination associate parameters; speed of germination, mean germination time, mean daily germination, peak value and germination value, were calculated. The experiment was carried out using complete block design with three replications. According to the results obtained from different GA3 application medium, the highest germination percentage 48,89 recorded at in medium containing 250 ppm GA3 whereas in control has recorded 42,22 at the end of the 46th day. Other concentrations, 100, 500,1000 and 1500 ppm, achieved a reduction in seed germination compared to control, respectively 28,15, 15,56, 24,44, 34,81. Not only in germination percentage result, but also in other germination associate parameters, the addition of 250 ppm gibberellic acid to Murashige and Skoog medium increased the values compared to the control and ensured a rapid increase and peak between the 8th and 12th days in all parameters.