TITLE:
Bioecological Features of Plantago ovata Forssk. in the Conditions of the Tashkent Oasis
AUTHORS:
Nasiba Abdunazarovna Yuldasheva, Trobjon Xusanboyevich Maxkamov, Rustamjon Xamroyevich Allaberdiyev, Vazira Asqar Qizi Shamsiddinova
KEYWORDS:
Plantago ovata Forssk., Seed Germination, Ontogeny, Seasonal Development, Bioecology, Organic Fertilizers, Gibberellin, Seed Material, Medicinal Plants
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.17 No.11,
November
10,
2026
ABSTRACT: Plantago ovata Forssk., an annual medicinal plant of the family Plantaginaceae, was investigated under laboratory and field conditions to evaluate its seed germination, ontogenetic development, and seasonal growth dynamics. Laboratory experiments examined the effects of temperature regimes and a 0.2% gibberellin solution on seed germination. Germination rates in distilled water were 100% at 15˚C, 96% at 20˚C, 100% at 25˚C, and 48% at 30˚C, whereas seeds treated with gibberellin exhibited germination rates of 100% at 15˚C, 20˚C, and 30˚C, and 92% at 25˚C. The most favorable and stable germination was observed within the temperature range of 20˚C - 25˚C. Field experiments evaluated the effects of different organic fertilizers on seed germination. The highest values were recorded in the cattle manure treatment, reaching 31% in 2025 and 70% in 2026, compared with 32% and 48% under sheep manure, 25% and 51% under poultry manure, and 15% and 50% in the control treatment, respectively. Seeds stored for one year exhibited a germination rate of 54.75%, whereas seeds stored for three years showed a germination rate of 25.75%, representing a difference of 29 percentage points (approximately 2.13-fold). However, because seed age may have been confounded with differences between growing seasons and seed lots, this difference cannot be attributed solely to storage duration. The ontogeny of P. ovata was characterized by five developmental stages: latent (se), seedling (p), juvenile (j), immature (im), and generative (g), and the morphological and biological features of each stage were described. The vegetation period lasted 88 days in 2025 and 77 days in 2026. The species exhibited active growth during the spring-summer season and demonstrated considerable tolerance to variations in temperature and moisture conditions. These findings provide valuable information on the bioecological characteristics of Plantago ovata and its cultivation potential under the environmental conditions of the Tashkent Oasis.