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Role of Salicylic Acid in the Control of General Plant Growth, Development, and Productivity

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Salicylic Acid: A Multifaceted Hormone

Abstract

Applications of low concentrations of salicylic acid (SA) to the shoots of seedlings of horticultural plants such as habanero pepper (Capsicum chinense) or to perennial trees such as the Ramon (Brosimum alicastrum) significantly increase their growth, development and productivity.

In chili pepper it was found that the positive effect of SA on root growth is correlated with an increased uptake of macro nutrients and micronutrients which are allocated in the plant tissues. Data have shown that plant tissues treated with SA had significantly higher levels of macronutrients. Accumulation of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium was higher in fruits (116%, 110% and 97%), leaves (45.5%, 39.4% and 29.1%), roots (52.6%, 17% and 29.4%), and stems (5.0%, 39.4% and 28.3%) with respect to the control plants. The levels of other nutrients, such as copper, zinc, manganese, boron, calcium, magnesium and iron, were also higher.

The application of 1 μM SA to shoots of trees, affected the root length. The control plants had 42 cm, and those of the treated plants 65.5 cm, equivalent to an increase of 55.7%. Fresh weight of the root was 158.3% higher in the treated plants and the dry weight increased by 160.7%. Increases were also observed in stem length (46%), stem diameter (25.9%), fresh weight (78.3%), and dry weight (89%), in comparison with the control. The number of leaves presented in treated plants averaged 12.6, whereas the control plants showed an average of 9 leaves with a lower leaf area.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Edafología, Colegio de Postgraduados, Carretera Federal México–Texcoco km 36.5 Montecillo, Texcoco, Estado de México, C.P. 56230, Mexico

    Cesar J. Tucuch-Haas & Gabriel Alcántar-González

  2. Recursos Naturales, Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, Calle 43 No. 130, por 32 y 34, Chuburná de Hidalgo, Mérida, Yucatán, C.P. 97205, Mexico

    Jesica V. Pérez-Balam, Karen B. Díaz-Magaña, José Manuel Castillo-Chuc, María G. Dzib-Ek, Silvia Vergara-Yoisura & Alfonso Larqué-Saavedra

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  1. Cesar J. Tucuch-Haas
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  2. Jesica V. Pérez-Balam
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  3. Karen B. Díaz-Magaña
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  4. José Manuel Castillo-Chuc
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  7. Silvia Vergara-Yoisura
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  8. Alfonso Larqué-Saavedra
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Correspondence to Alfonso Larqué-Saavedra .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, Jamia Hamdard University, New Delhi, Delhi, India

    Rahat Nazar

  2. Department of Botany, Jamia Hamdard University, New Delhi, India

    Noushina Iqbal

  3. Department of Botany, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Nafees A. Khan

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Tucuch-Haas, C.J. et al. (2017). Role of Salicylic Acid in the Control of General Plant Growth, Development, and Productivity. In: Nazar, R., Iqbal, N., Khan, N. (eds) Salicylic Acid: A Multifaceted Hormone. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-6068-7_1

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