EFFECTS OF DROUGHT STRESS AND SALICYLIC ACID ON BASILS (OCIMUM BASILICUM) AND MINT (MENTHA X PIPERITA AND MENTHA ROTUNDIFOLIA)

Abstract

Drought stress is one of the main constraints on crop production, increasingly occurring in a changing climate. In this study, the effects of drought and salicylic acid as a drought-increasing agent on six varieties of basil (Ocimum basilicum) 'Palla Compacto', 'Italiano Classico', 'Dark Opal', 'Thai', 'Purple Opal', 'Fina verde ', mint (Mentha rotundifolia) and peppermint (Mentha x piperita). During the experiment, 0.75 mM and 1.5 mM salicylic acid were sprayed with aqueous solutions and subjected to drought stress. Chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and total phenolic compounds were determined in the study. The results obtained show that drought reduced the amount of chlorophyll pigments, and the salicylic acid used significantly increased the amount of photosynthetic pigments. Phenol levels were affected differently by drought and salicylic acid depending on plant type and variety. It can be argued that the use of salicylic acid has a positive effect on the resistance of plants to drought stress, in particular through an increase in the amount of photosynthetic pigments.