Effects of salicylic acid on biochemical and physiological characteristics of Matricaria chamomile

The Matricaria chamomile are medicinal and aromatic plants belonging to the Asteraceae family, which have many pharmaceutical properties. Salicylic acid naturally occurs in plants at a very low concentration. It is a common plant-produced signal molecule that is responsible for inducing tolerance to a number of mutation. The present study was performed to evaluate the effect of various concentrations of salicylic acid on biochemical and physiological characteristics of M. chammomile. The seeds of M. chammomile were grown in the greenhouse with the mean day/night temperature and relative humidity of 29 ± 4˚C, 38 ± 5% RH/17 ± 2˚C, 59 ± 5% RH respectively. To investigate the effects of salicylic acid on morphological characteristics of M. chammomile .Fourteen weeks old plants were subjected to different levels of salicylic acid [control, 150, 300, and 450 mg l-1]. Our results showed that salicylic acid caused a significant change in proline content, photosynthetic pigments and antioxidant activity in M. chammomile but phenolic compounds has shown different profiles. The essential oil components of M. chammomilewere identified and analyzed by GC/MS and GC technique. Polyphenol components were identified and analyzed by HPLC method. The main components of essential oil were α-Bisabolol oxide A, Chamazulene and En-in-dicycloether. The main components of polyphenols wereChloregeni acid, Caffeic acid, Catechin, Sinapic acid, Hesperidin, Ellagic acid, Quercetin, Eugenol. The proportions of these main compounds and synthesis of some important essential oil components were induced by salicylic acid.