Features of the Development of Tropical Crops in the Conditions of Dry Subtropics of the Southern Coast of the Crimea

The Nikita Botanical Gardens – National Scientific Center of the RAS, 52 Nikitsky spusk St., Nikita, 298648, Yalta, Republic of the Crimea, Russia

^* Corresponding author: oksana_shevchuk1970@mail.ru

Abstract

Aerva lanata (L.) Juss. and Passiflora incarnata L. are pharmacopoeial medicinal plants, the raw materials of which are included in the list of imported to the Russian Federation. We conducted the complex of ecological and biological studies in order to select the optimal method of culture (long-term or annual) of these crops and assess the prospects of their cultivation in the conditions of the Southern Coast of the Crimea. In accordance with the methods of introduction study, we revealed the features of biology, growth dynamics and development of plants Aerva lanata and Passiflora incarnata in a dry subtropical climate of the Mediterranean type. It was found that for the cultivation of Passiflora incarnata for the long-term type, the required heat resource higher than 10˚С is 2159˚С. Aerva lanata in the open ground of the annual type forms fully valid seeds with heat supply in the 1870˚С. The biologically necessary amount of heat of the open ground culture is provided by the average long-term effective temperatures for Passiflora incarnata at 97% and Aerva lanata – 98-100%. These species are classified as promising species based on the total number of points.