Provenance variation in germination and seedling growth of rhododendron ponticum l.

Abstract

Rhododendron ponticum is a popular shrubby plant in landscape architecture planting designs. It is especially effective when used in large groups, due to its form, foliage and flower aesthetics, as well as its functional properties. The plant is indigenous tomany mountainous and forested areas of different elevations. In the present study, the germination success of Rhododendron ponticum seeds obtained from three different provenances in NE Turkey: Zafanos (39º46'N, 40º56'E, 592m), Maçka (39º39'N, 40º41'E, 1234m) and Zigana (39º24'N, 40º39'E, 1744m) was investigated under greenhouse conditions (25 ± 2ºC, 70 ± 2% Humidity). After germination, seedling sizes and root length were determined. The highest germination rate (78.91%) was obtained with the seeds collected from Maçka (1234m). The development of the seedlings demonstrated that the greatest height and root length values were obtained with the seedlings collected at the Zafonos site (592m).It was found that germination success was not effectively correlated with the rate of seedling development.