The aim of the study is to investigate the optimal methods and timing of sowing Spanish sage plants and to investigate its bioproductivity. The object of the study is Spanish sage (Salvia hispanica) (chia). The studies were conducted in the medicinal crop rotation of the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution VILAR in 2023–2025. Biometric indicators of plant development and their bioproductivity were studied at different times and methods of sowing. Sowing of seeds for obtaining seedlings was carried out on January 30; February 26; March 12; April 2. Sowing of seeds for obtaining seedlings was carried out on May 20; June 7; June 20; July 1. Surveys were carried out in the second half of the growing season, when the vegetative mass reached its maximum values. The content of essential oil was determined by hydrodistillation; the composition and content of polyphenolic compounds were determined by TLC and spectrophotometry in accordance with the modified Folin-Ciocalteu method; Determination of the total flavonoid content as luteolin was carried out using spectrophotometry to measure the optical density of the products of the flavonoid complexation reaction with aluminum chloride. Spring-sown sage plants had the longest growing season (180–210 days). No significant difference was observed between the height of chia plants sown in mid-March and early April: active growth of vegetative mass continued until early September, with plants reaching 80–90 cm in height. Peak yield in the Moscow Region for sage is reached at the end of August. Dry material yield (leaves) is 277.3–280.0 g/m2. Growth processes then begin to slow down. The essential oil content of sage leaves ranges from 0.15% in mid-July to 0.40–0.42 % at the end of August. The phenolic content is higher in the raw material obtained from April-sown plants: the total amount of phenolic compounds expressed as chlorogenic acid is 13 % higher, and the total amount of flavonoids expressed as luteolin is 13.3–18.8 %. Due to the difficulties of seed production for short-day plants, which include Spanish sage, it is recommended to grow this crop as a source of biologically active substances.
Savchenko et al. (2026) studied this question.