Abstract
This study was carried out to evaluate the effects of ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS) on the emergence rate and seedling characteristics of clary sage (Salvia sclarea) and to lay the foundation for future breeding studies. S. sclarea seeds were kept at 4 different EMS doses (0.25%, 0.50%, 0.75% and 1%) for 4 different durations (6, 12, 24 and 48 hours). Seedlings were grown in the greenhouse. 0.25% EMS concentration was determined as the LD50 dose for S. sclarea used in the research. Among the EMS doses, the highest emergence value (72.00%) was taken from the control application and the lowest value (46.94%) was taken from the 1.00 EMS application. Among the application durations, the highest value (83.30%) gave 12hr, while the lowest value (32.15%) gave 24hr. Considering the Dose x Application Duration interaction, the highest (88.75%) and lowest (1.25%) values were recorded in 0.25% EMS-12hr and 1.00%EMS-48hr applications, respectively. Among the seedling characteristics examined, the highest values for seedling and root length, fresh and dry seedling weight, fresh root weight and leaf length were obtained from the 0.25% EMS-12hr application. The findings obtained from our study showed that as the application time and dose increased, the emergence was negatively affected, and that the EMS application time was more effective than the EMS application dose.