Laboratory analysis of the swelling of Sudanese grass seeds in solutions with high osmotic pressure

The article presents the features of the influence of osmotic solutions (sucrose and potassium nitrate) on the swelling of seeds of Sudanese grass in comparison with the control option (distilled water) to assess drought resistance. Samples of Sudanese grass, characterized by relative drought resistance under conditions of artificially simulated stress, are advisable to use in the selection of new varieties with high adaptive potential, adapted to cultivation in arid regions of the Russian Federation. On average, over the three-year period of the experiment, the seeds of the studied samples differed in different intensities of water absorption. The processes of water absorption by seeds of all studied samples were characterized by varying degrees of intensity: in the first 1-2 hours and the last 24-48 hours of the experiment, there was a more intense swelling of the seeds; the water uptake rate did not change significantly between 4-6 hours. The swelling intensity averaged 72.9-100.1% in hypertonic solutions over 48 hours compared to 75.2-93.3% of the control variant. As a result of research, drought-resistant samples of Sudanese grass were identified - Zonalskaya 6, Volga Dream, Ambition, Faina, Laura, for further selection to increase stress resistance in conditions of simulated drought. Key words: SEED SWELLING, SUDANESE GRASS, DROUGHT TOLERANCE, SUCROSE, POTASSIUM NITRATE