Assessment of Physiological and Phytochemical Traits of Purple Coneflower ( Echinacea purpurea L. Moench) in Response to Salicylic Acid and Methyl Jasmonate Application

Abstract

Salicylic-acid and methyl-jasmonate are phytohormonal eilicitors that play important roles in regulating a number of physiological and phytochemical processes. For this purpose, a research was conducted as factorial based on complete randomized block design (CRBD) with three replications at the research field of agricultural faculty of Zanjan university during farming years of 2017～2018 and 2018～2019. The first factor was salicylic-acid (0 (control), 50, 100 and 150 mM) and the second factor was methyl-jasmonate (0 (control), 50, 100 and 200 µM). In the first year of experiment, treatments were sprayed on plants (four plants per plot) in two stages (20 days apart). In the second year they were also sprayed on remaining plants as the first year. Results of ANOVA as factorial-split in time showed that at the level of one percent (p<0.01), the effect of salicylic-acid on catalase, peroxidase and superoxide dismutase enzymes traits and the effect of methyl-jasmonate on antioxidant activity and catalase enzyme traits and the interaction of salicylic-acid and methyl-jasmonate on antioxidant activity, catalase, peroxidase and superoxide dismutase enzymes traits were significant. Also, at the level of five percent (p<0.05), the effects of methyl-jasmonate on superoxide dismutase enzyme trait was significant. The interaction of salicylic-acid and methyl-jasmonate factor was also significant on total protein trait at the level of 10 percent (p<0.1). The highest amount of chlorogenic acid in the first year was in the treatment of 100 mM of salicylic-acid and 50 μM of methyl-jasmonate and the highest amount in the second year was in the treatment of 100 mM of salicylic-acid and 100 μM of methyl-jasmonate. Also, the highest amount of chicoric acid in the both years was in the treatment of 100 mM of salicylic-acid and 100 μM of methyl-jasmonate.