The response of some growth and biochemical traits of cucumber seedlings in different culture mediums to wood vinegar foliar spraying

In this research, the effect of foliar spraying of wood vinegar on the growth and biochemical traits of cucumber seedlings in different culture mediums in a factorial experiment in a completely randomized design with three replications was investigated. This experiment was carried out in the spring of 2022 in a research greenhouse at the University of Jiroft. The test factors include two types of culture media (75% cocopeat + 25% peat moss and 75% palm peat + 25% vermicompost) and 5 combinations of wood vinegar (control, oak wood vinegar 0.5 and 1% and wood vinegar Pistachio 0.5 and 1%). The results showed that seedlings grown on palmpeat + vermicompost had maximum values for the fresh and dry weight of roots and shoots, root length, photosynthetic pigments, and auxin. Spraying pistachio wood vinegar at 0.5% and 1% on cocopeat + peat moss and palmpeat + vermicompost substrates, respectively, led to the highest value of root weight. Using 1% pistachio wood vinegar on cocopeat + peat moss substrate increased the root fresh weight (29.1%), the shoot dry weight (13.8%), and the ratio of shoot dry weight to root dry weight (28.4%) compared to the control. Using 1% oak wood vinegar on palmpeat + vermicompost substrate increased the root length (51.9%), chlorophyll b (13.8%), auxin (24.7%), and the total phenol (21.7%) compared to the control. Ultimately, this research suggested that using 1% oak wood vinegar on palmpeat + vermicompost substrate can produce optimal results for the production of cucumber seedlings.