A First from Our University’s Faculty of Agriculture: “Fire Blue”

At the Tobacco and Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Registration Committee Meeting held on April 2, 2026, by the Directorate of Seed Registration and Certification of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Turkey, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ertan ATEŞ and Assoc. Dr. Hazım Serkan TENİKECİER, and for which the registration application was submitted by the Faculty of Agriculture, was registered under the name “ATEŞ MAVISI.” In addition to being the first registered Medicinal and Aromatic Plant of the Field Crops Department and our faculty, the “Ateş Mavisi” variety will be the first of its kind to be included in the UPOV list worldwide, thanks to the Seed Registration and Certification Center Directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Turkey.

Ateş Mavisi, an annual variety with an alternative growth habit, yields the desired dry herb yield (50–400 kg/ha) and essential oil content (0.11–0.14%) when harvested during full bloom, fruit set, or fruit ripening. This variety has a conical plant shape, blue flowers, no or very low anthocyanin color intensity on the main stem, 50% flowering time, and yellowish seeds. The dried herb is ground and used as a spice; additionally, phytochemical compounds are extracted from the herb and seeds. Among the twenty-five volatile oil compounds that make up 96–98% of the essential oil, the predominant ones are phytol, n-pentacosane, trans-2-methyl-2-butenal, and myristic acid. The Ateş Mavisi variety is also utilized as a forage crop for silage production by grazing or mowing.