The Effect of Different Concentrations of Salicylic Acid on the Biochemical-Physiological Characteristics and Essential Oil Yield of Basil under Various Moisture Regimes

Rostami, Zabihollah; Sayfzadeh, Saeed; Valad Abadi, Seyed Alireza; Shahsavari, Nasser; Zakerin, Hamidreza

doi:10.22034/jmpb.2025.368872.1921

The Effect of Different Concentrations of Salicylic Acid on the Biochemical-Physiological Characteristics and Essential Oil Yield of Basil under Various Moisture Regimes

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

¹ Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Takestan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Takestan, Iran

² Department of Crop Production, Hajiabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Hajiabad, Iran

10.22034/jmpb.2025.368872.1921

Abstract

Drought stress, as a non-living limiting factor, has a highly adverse effect on the growth and productivity of crops. A study was conducted to evaluate the impact of salicylic acid on the characteristics of basil subjected to drought-stress in Karaj, Iran, during the cropping seasons of 2015-2016 and 2016-2017. Irrigation was performed at four levels: I₁ (100% water requirement), I₂ (80% water requirement), I₃ (60% water requirement), and I₄ (40% water requirement) in the main plots. At the same time, salicylic acid was applied as a secondary factor at five concentrations: S₁ (no application, spraying with pure water), S₂ (50 µM), S₃ (100 µM), S₄ (150 µM), and S₅ (200 µM) in the sub-plots. The results indicate that the application of salicylic acid has a more significant impact on increasing dry weight under drought-stress conditions. A significant increasing trend in essential oil yield was observed with the increase in salicylic acid concentration from zero to 200 µM. Under drought-stress conditions, the total sugar and protein levels increase to enhance the plant’s tolerance to stress. Moreover, relative water content and chlorophyll index increased with the rise in salicylic acid concentration from zero to 50, 100, 150, and 200 micromolar. These findings suggest the positive effects of foliar application of salicylic acid, particularly at higher concentrations (150 & 200 micromolar), under different moisture regimes, especially drought stress, in basil plants. Hence, applying salicylic acid may be suggested as an effective management strategy for basil production under drought-stress conditions.

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