Enhancement the characters of calendula plant grown under saline and non saline conditions by using growth stimulants / Engy Alaa Seleem Mahmoud ; Supervised Fayza Hussein Nofal , Mohamed Usama Elsegai

Thesis (Ph.D.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Agriculture - Department of Agricultural Botany

This study included two experiments. A field experiment was conducted at Agricultural Experimental Station, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt during two successive seasons of 2012 and 2013 to study the effect of foliar application with; yeast at 2, 4, 8 and 12 g/l, seaweed extract at 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 cm3/l and salicylic acid at 100, 200 and 400 ppm on the vegetative, flowering and yield characters of Calendula officinalis plant. A pot experiment was conducted at the Nursery of Ornamental Horticultural Dept., Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University during two seasons of 2013 and 2014 to study the effect of foliar application with the above growth stimulants on the growth of Calendula plant grown under three levels of salinity; 2000, 4000 and 6000 ppm. The field experiment showed that the concentrations of yeast extract at 2, 4 and 8 g/l, seaweed extract at 0.5, 1 and 2 cm3/l and SA at 100 and 200 ppm increased all vegetative, flowering and yield characters, and the maximum increment in all studied characters was achieved in the plants treated by 4 g/l, 1 cm3/l and 200 ppm for yeast, seaweed extract and SA, respectively. While, the concentrations of 12 g/l yeast, 4 cm3/l seaweed and 400 ppm SA reduced all the previous traits. Pot experiment results indicated that salinity decreased all the studied characters. However, using the best doses; yeast at 4g/l, seaweed at 1 cm3/l and SA at 200 ppm increased all the studied characters. Yeast was superior in its significant effect. Studying the anatomy of stem and leaf, all salinity levels reduced the anatomical structure of whole diameter of the plant stem. This reduction was linked with remarkable decrease in thickness of cortex and xylem as well as pith diameter. Treatment with growth stimulants induced thick stem due to increasing the thickness of all included tissues. The same effects of salinity and stimulants have been observed also on the anatomical structure of the leaf blade

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