Problems Of Conservation Of Natural Populations Of Сapparis Spinosal In Uzbekistan

The article provides information on the current state of exploitation of natural resources of Capparis spinosa L. in Uzbekistan, some results of ongoing research on the introduction of this plant into cultivation in order to create industrial plantations.


INTRODUCTION
Spiny capers -Capparis spinosa L. are widespread in the foothill semi-desert of Uzbekistan. This is a perennial herb, sometimes forms large thickets, and in most cases it is found in rare herbage. It is practically not eaten by livestock because of the sharp thorns located along the entire length of the shoots. Dry leaves are readily eaten by almost all types of farm animals. The plant is quite drought-resistant, in this regard,  [4][5][6][7][8][9]. The plant is the most valuable medicinal raw material for the pharmaceutical industry in many countries. Also, in many European countries, capers are used as a valuable product; they are included in gourmet salads. In this regard, in recent years, Uzbekistan has become a major supplier of raw capers abroad. The commodity raw materials are buds up to 1 cm in size. Entrepreneurs annually harvest thousands of tons of caper buds, mercilessly exploiting a natural resource, which poses a serious threat to the extinction of this plant from nature. Mass collection of buds excludes the possibility of seed reproduction of the plant, the populations become of the same age, and the process of extinction of the species and disappearance from the herbage is accelerated. Obviously, the most effective way to preserve any type of plant is to introduce it into culture and create industrial plantations. Therefore, the development of agrotechnical methods for the cultivation of prickly capers in relation to arid conditions and the creation of industrial plantations are very relevant for the Republic of Uzbekistan. For several years, we have been conducting research to study the sowing qualities of seeds, to study laboratory and field germination, to determine the optimal timing of sowing and planting seeds, to develop effective methods for pre-sowing seed treatment, which will increase their laboratory and soil germination.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The main goal of our research was to study the seed productivity of spiny capers and the development of methods for increasing seed germination. The object of research was the seeds of a wild population of thorny capers, which are widespread in the Samarkand and Jizzakh regions, growing in natural conditions. In the studies, the generally accepted methods of seed production and seed science of agricultural crops were used [1][2][3], laboratory and field experiments were carried out.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
In the study of seed productivity, 15 fruits of almost the same size were selected from different populations and the average number of seeds in the fruit was determined ( OCLC -1121105746 number of seeds is enough to create a plantation of thorny capers on one hectare. Seed germination. When studying field germination, we first used seeds without presowing treatment. The seeds were sown in December, January, February and March to a depth of 2 cm. It was found that the field germination rate of seeds sown in December was 2.5%, while the germination rate of seeds sown in January was only 1.5%. From the seeds sown in February and March, there were no shoots at all. Analysing the results obtained in this experiment, we can conclude that sowing seeds without presowing treatment is not advisable; to obtain the desired result, it is necessary to apply effective methods of scarification or stratification, since the seeds of thorny capers are macrobiotics, the proportion of hard seeds is up to 98%.
Influence of different methods of pre-sowing treatment on seed germination. To increase seed germination, prickly capers were soaked in concentrated sulfuric acid at different time exposures. An analysis of the experimental results shows that soaking the seeds in acid for 10, 40, 90 minutes did not give the expected result, except for the option of soaking for 40 minutes, the germination of seeds is low or even lower than in the control. Although a slight change was observed in the 40-minute variant, it was also not at the required level, the germination rate did not exceed 12.0%.
Efficiency of long-term cold stratification of seeds. To increase germination, the seeds were mixed with well-moistened river sand in a ratio of 1: 4 and in sealed bags, kept buried in the ground to a depth of 25-30 cm during December-February (90 days). In March, experiments were carried out to study the laboratory and field germination of stratified seeds. At the same time, there was a sharp increase in laboratory germination by 72-85%. The field germination capacity of stratified seeds was studied at various depths of their embedding (  Slightly less when embedded at a depth of 3.0 cm -39.2%. Thus, it can be stated that the optimal seeding depth is 2-3 cm.