Effect of salicylic acid on the growth and physiological characteristics of maize under stress conditions

Summary: salicylic acid (sa) is a naturally occurring signaling molecule and growth regulator that enhances plant growth particularly in stress conditions. the present study was planned to evaluate the effects of different levels of sa on maize growth under drought and salt stress conditions. an experiment was conducted to test the morphological,physiological and biochemical changes in two cultivar of maize d-1184 and tg-8250. varying levels of salicylic acid,i.e. 5mm,10mm and 15mm were applied through foliar method. exogenous applications of salicylic acid were done after 20 days of germination of the maize plants. salicylic acid significantly affects root and shoot dry matter under drought and salt stress. foliar application of sa significantly increased proline concentration (11% and 12%),amino acid accumulation (25% and 18%),relative water (17% and 14%) and chlorophyll content. overall,it can be concluded that sa at lower concentration is effective to minimize the effect of stress conditions. maize cultivar tg-8250 showed better tolerance under drought and salt stress condition as compared to d-1184 cultivar. © 2015,chemical society of pakistan. all rights reserved.