The Effect of Irrigation, Methanol and Humic Acid on Physiological Traits, Yield and Water Use Efficiency of Chicory

In order to study the effect of methanol and humic acid on physiological traits, yield and water use efficiency in plant of chicory under drought stress conditions, a split factorial experiment based on randomized complete block design with three replications in a field of Islamic Azad University, Birjand Branch in year of 2015. Irrigation at three levels (irrigation after 70, 140 and 210 mm cumulative evaporation from the evaporation pan) as the main factor and methanol spray at two levels (zero and 21 percentage volume) and humic acid with two levels (zero and 10 L ha-1 ) were as sub factors. The studied traits were chlorophyll meter, stomatal conductance, leaf relative water content, dry yields of root, stem and leaf dry, dry yield of total, root to stem and leaf ratio, water use efficiency of root, stem and leaf and total. The results showed that water deficit stress reduced all physiological and yield traits (except root to stem and leaf ratio) and increased water use efficiency. Application of methanol increased all of the traits (except yield and water use efficiency of root). Application of 10 L ha-1 humic acid increased all the traits (except for the ratio of root to air organs). In general, based on the results of this study, irrigation treatment after 140 mm evaporation from the pan and spraying methanol with 21 percentage volume and humic acid at 10 liters per hectare can be used to achieve yield acceptable for the Chicory plant in the Birjand region.