RESEARCH ON THE ACCLIMATIZATION AND BREEDING OF SIDERITIS HYSSOPIFOLIA L. IN ROMANIA

Sideritis hyssopifolia L., perennial plant of the genus Sideritis, is also known as hyssop-leaved mountain ironwort. In its area of origin in northwestern Europe, it is valued as an aromatic and medicinal plant and used in the prevention and treatment of digestive ailments. It has been studied at Plant Genetic Resources Bank Buzău since 2019, being the subject of intensive acclimatization and improvement works with the purpose of obtaining new creations with distinct genotypic and biochemical characteristics. The genetic material used was from the centers of origin: Spain, Portugal, Madeira and Canary Islands, and the breeding methods were repeated individual selection followed by negative mass selection. In order to prevent the biological contamination of genotypes with foreign pollen, insulators with textile material were used. Cultivar G5, superior in terms of acclimation and genetic stability, also exhibited distinct phenotypic expressivity. At the same time, specific culture technology was developed with the aim of promoting it among farmers.