Introduction and productivity of Styphnolobium japonicum (L.) Schott in the Absheron peninsula

In recent years, along with local flora, many ornamental plants have been brought from all over the world, including Japanese Sophora (Styphnolobium japonicum (L.) Schott, genus Styphnolobium Schott, family Fabaceae). The species is widely used in landscape architecture due to its decorative properties. There are 12,000 species belonging to this family in the world, 1,700 of them exist in the former Soviet Union, 550 in the Caucasus and over 400 species in Azerbaijan. S. japonicum is of particular importance when introduced for the purpose of landscaping the Absheron Peninsula. The studies were carried out in 2020-2021 on the Absheron Peninsula, at the experimental site of the Institute of Dendrology of Azerbaijan NAS. The purpose of the study: development of rules for the introduction and adaptation of Japanese Sophora in the conditions of Absheron, identification of biological characteristics, resistance to environmental factors, phytochemical studies and determination of areas of application. To achieve the goals set during the study, different methods were used and phenological observations were carried out in different areas. In the course of the study, seeds collected on the Absheron Peninsula and brought on exchange from the Romanian garden Hortus Botanicus were used. It has been found that most of the seeds of S. japonicum require the same conditions for germination. The percentage of germination of seeds of a fresh crop is 1.5-2.0 times higher than that of the seeds of the previous year. Therefore, freshly harvested S. japonicum seeds should be used when sowing. The research results showed that Japanese Sophora, introduced in the conditions of Absheron, has normal stages of development and produces seeds with high germination.