Exogenous Salicylic Acid Application During Germination of Silage Maize (Zea mays L.) Exposed to PEG-Induced Drought Condition

Abstract

The aim of study was to investigate the effects of salicylic acid on germination and seedling parameters of maize cultivars (Zea mays L.) under drought stress conditions. The research was carried out in a growth chamber in a factorial experiment design with four replications in random plots. In this study, three different silage maize cultivars were used (Side, Pehlivan and Burak). Drought conditions were established using Polyethylene glycol-6000 (PEG-6000) at three different levels (0.-0.4 MPa and -0.8 MPa). Salicylic acid applications were calculated at three different doses of 0-0.1-0.2 mM. The parameters examined in Side cultivar gave superior results exposed to drought conditions compared to other cultivars. Differences were determined in the response of maize cultivars to drought stress, and statistically noteworthy diminishes were also observed as the drought level enhanced. It was displayed that salicylic acid applications generally boosted germination and seedling parameters exposed to drought conditions compared to control. The maximum shoot lenght was detected at 0.2 mM SA dose with 2.30 cm but that did not exhibit significant numerical differences. SA applications, on the other hand, did not have an effect on root length. Moreover, the best result of shoot fresh weight was recorded in 0.1 mM SA application, as root fresh weight gave the best in 0.2 mM SA application. Furthermore, when a correlation is made between the specified parameters, the highest relation was markedly positive and linked between GR and GI (r: 0.99, p