The Effect of Different Levels of Chitosan and Salicylic Acid on Morphological Traits of the Medicinal Plant Galega (Galega officinalis L.)

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of different levels of chitosan and salicylic acid on morphological traits of the medicinal plant Galega officinalis L. in field conditions in a completely randomized design with three replications in 2017 in the research farm of Islamic Azad University, Miyaneh Branch. The treatments included foliar application with four levels of salicylic acid (0.5, 1, 2, and 3 mM/l), foliar application with four levels of chitosan (0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8 g/l) and foliar application with distilled water (the control). The results showed that foliar application of biological stimulants had a significant impact on all evaluated traits, except plant height and leaf dry weight. By increasing the concentration of chitosan and salicylic acid, the fresh and dry weight of the stem have decreased so that the highest values in the two traits have belonged to the treatments of chitosan 0.4 and 0.2 g/l and 1 and 0.5 mM/l salicylic acid. Maximum number of internodes (with a numerical mean of 4.80), root length in chitosan treatment (0.4 g/l), and the highest number of leaf (at a concentration of 0.6 g/l chitosan) has been observed. In the study of leaf and root characteristics, chitosan with concentrations of 0.2 and 0.4 g/l and in inflorescence characteristics, salicylic acid with concentrations of 2 and 3 mM/l have been more effective. In general, the use of concentrations of 0.4 and 0.2 g/l chitosan have had a more optimal effect on the morphological traits of the medicinal plant Galega officinalis L., making it ultimately recommended thanks to its positive effect on most of the plant's growth characteristics due to its rapid absorption to achieve the desired yield in a sustainable agricultural path.