Effect of foliar spray with ascorbic and salicylic acids on growth, yield, salt tolerance trait and total chlorophyll of lavender (lavandula officinalis, chiax)‎ under saline stress conditions

Abstract EN

A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted at the Nursery of Ornamental Plants, Horticulture Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Sharkia Governorate, Egypt during the two winter consecutive seasons of 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 to study the effect of different soil salinity levels (0.0, 1000, 2000 and 3000 ppm), foliar spray with 150 ppm of salicylic acid (SA), 250 ppm of ascorbic acid (AA), and 150 ppm SA+250 ppm AA as well as control (spraying with water) and their combination treatments on growth, herb yield per plant, salt tolerance trait percentage and total chlorophyll content (SPAD unit) of lavender plants.

The investigations were performed in a split-plot in complete randomized block design with 3 replications.

The obtained results cleared that using soil salinity at high levels (2000 and 3000 ppm) decreased growth parameters (plant height, number of branches /plant, root length, root number per plant, fresh and dry weights of roots/ plant), yield components (fresh and dry weights of herb yield/ plant) and total chlorophyll content compared to control.

But, the low level one (1000 ppm) showed significant increase in lavender growth and yield as well as it enhanced salt tolerance index compared to un-salinized plants and the other levels under study.

Moreover, the highest values in abovementioned parameters were registered by the combination treatment between 150 ppm SA and 250 ppm AA acids in both seasons.

Generally, it could conclude that 150 ppm SA + 250 ppm AA, showed a uniform impact in alleviating of lavender growth inhibition and its productivity under low salinity stress condition with increasing in salt resistance (% ).