Optimizing germination performance of Lamiaceae family seeds: insights from research

The Lamiaceae family comprises herbaceous to woody plants that can thrive in a wide range of habitats and are cosmopolitan in distribution. In Turkey, there are 45 genera and 586 species belonging to the Lamiaceae family. Among these species, 239 taxa are endemic, making it the third-largest family in Turkey in terms of endemic individuals. In this study, seeds of three species from the Lamiaceae family, Izmir oregano ( Origanum onites L.), French lavender ( Lavandula stoechas L.), and basil ( Ocimum basilicum L.), were used as test materials. The research aimed to overcome heterogeneous and low germination issues observed in these seeds, which were determined to be seed-related through preliminary studies, and to achieve the highest germination percentage and average germination time. Various pre-sowing treatments were applied to improve the germination performance and quality of Izmir oregano, French lavender, and basil seeds. For this purpose, the effects of treatments including control, KNO3, GA3, polymer coating, priming, priming + polymer coating, priming + polymer coating + KNO3, and priming + polymer coating + GA3 on seed germination rate and average germination days were investigated in comparison to the control. Prior to the treatments, molecular analyses were conducted on all seed samples to detect viral agents. As a result of the research, the highest germination percentage of 94% was found in Izmir oregano with the priming + polymer coating + KNO3 treatment. In contrast, for French lavender and basil seeds, the germination performance with a 92% and 94% germination rate, respectively, was achieved with the priming + polymer coating + GA3 treatment. Molecular analyses conducted on seed samples did not detect any viral agents.