EVALUATION OFTHE BIOLOGICAL RESPONSE OFTHE SALICYLIC ACID ON GROWTH AND YIELD OF OAT

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during the winter season 2018-2019 in the research station (A) of the Field Crop Sciences Department / College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences / University of Baghdad. The main aim of the study was to evaluate the biological response of salicylic acid in the growth and yield of oat (shifaa variety). The experiment was carried out using Randomized Complete Block Design, by split plot design arrangements with three replicates. The experiment included two factors, the first one was the growth stages in which salicylic acid was added in four growth stages including: beginning of tillering stage (Z 22) elongation stage (Z 30), then booting stage (Z 45) and the heading stage (Z 51), which represented the main plots. While the second factor consisted of a concentrations of salicylic acid 100, 200 and 300 ppm, as well as the comparison treatment. The results showed that beginning of tillering stage was significantly superior in most growth and yield traits, which were represented by plant height, number of tillers, flag leaf area. As well as, plant dry weight, number of grains in panicle, grain yield and the biological yield, and the rates of 121.77 cm, 573.75 tiller.m-2, 61.87 cm2 , 1319.58 gm.m-2, 52.25 grain.panicle-1, 7.91 ton.h-1 and 24.39 ton.h-1 were achieved, respectively, compared to other growth stages. Finally, the results also showed that the concentration of 100 ppm was superior significantly in the above-mentioned traits and recorded a rate of 120.18 cm, 570.92 tiller.m-2, 60.61 cm2 , 1310.00 g.m-2, 51.51 grain.panicle-1, 8.43 ton.h-1 and 24.91 ton.h-1 , respectively, compared with the comparison treatment and some of the other concentrations. As well as, the effect of the same concentration on the increasing the weight of 1000 grains. It can conclude from this study that the growth stage in which salicylic acid is added is one of the factors that determine the plant’s response to salicylic acid, also can conclude that salicylic acid can be used to improve the plant’s performance represented by plant growth and yield.