Quality of seed material of common sage (Salvia officinalis L.)

Abstract

Common sage (Salvia officinalis L.) is a medicinal and essential oil crop with a cultivation history in Russia exceeding one century. Modern medicinal cultivars approved for application in Russia include Kubanets and Fioletovyi Aromat from the North Caucasus Branch of All–Russian Research Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, and Dobrynya from the North Caucasus Federal Scientific Agrarian Center. This article analyzes current requirements and evaluates the quality of seed material in the Institute’s collection. Seed material of modern cultivars and breeding lines retains differences in thousand-seed weight: 8.1–9.0 g for Kubanets and Fioletovyi Aromat, 6.4–8.2 g for Institute breeding lines, and 5.7-6.0 g for the white-flowered form. The yield of cleaned seeds from the seed lot is 20–35 %, of which 94–97 % exhibit a diameter exceeding 2 mm. However, original seeds of Kubanets and Fioletovyi Aromat contain up to 3.5 % of seeds larger than 3 mm, while the white-flowered form comprises 3–8 % of seeds with a diameter below 2 mm. In addition to size, seed fractions can be distinguished by color – light-colored and dark-colored. In addition to possessing a lower thousand-seed weight and smaller dimensions, light-colored seeds are morphologically underdeveloped, resulting in a reduction in laboratory germination capacity of up to 81 % compared to dark-colored seeds. Consequently, light-colored seeds in common sage constitute low-viability component and degrade the overall sowing quality of a seed lot. The recommended removal of this fraction during weight-based separation in aerodynamic columns enhances seed germination capacity by 9–22 %. The sowing quality parameters of modern seed samples from the Institute’s collection, specifically experimental super-elite and foundation elite seed stock, meet the GOST standard requirements, with a germination capacity of 79–89 %, a moisture content of 12 %, and a purity of 99 %.