Resumen

LARQUE-SAAVEDRA, Alfonso et al. Effect of salicilic acid on the growth of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) seedlings. Rev. Chapingo Ser.Hortic [online]. 2010, vol.16, n.3, pp.183-187. ISSN 2007-4034.

Tomato seedlings were sprayed with low concentration of salicylic acid (SA) as to estimate its effect on root and shoot growth. The seedlings were cultivated under greenhouse conditions in pots with a mixture of cosmopeat and agrolite (2:1) that was fertilized with a solution of 380 mg.liter-1 of N, P and K and kept well watered. SA was spread at any of the following SA concentrations 1.0, 0.01, and 0.0001 μM or water as a control treatment. SA was applied at 9 and 13 days after the emergence of the seedling and 7 days afterwards they were harvested for the measurements. Pots were arranged in a totally random design with 24 replicates per treatment . The results showed that SA increases significantly height, leaf area, fresh and dry weight of the shoot as well as length, perimeter and area of the root. AS at 1 μM increased root length by 43%, 14.8% shoot size and 38.6% leaf area as compared with the water control. Doses-response curves are presented for the measurements taken.

Palabras llave : Salicylic acid (AS); Tomato; growth; shoot; root.