Assessment of Salicylic Acid Impacts on Seedling Characteristic of Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) under Water Stress

Abstract

Impacts of various concentrations of salicylic acid (SA) on cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) seedling characteristic were evaluated under different water stress levels by using a factorial arrangement based on completely randomized design with three replications at experimental greenhouse of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran. The studied factors included three water deficit levels (100% FC, 80% FC, and 60% FC) considered as first factor and five levels of SA concentrations (0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1 mM) as second factor. Results showed that foliar application of SA at the highest concentration enhanced leaf area, leaf and dry weight while decreased stomatal conductance under high level of water deficit stress. Though, severe water deficit stress sharply raised the SPAD reading values. In general, exogenous SA application could develop cucumber seedling characteristic and improve water stress tolerance.