Impressibility of Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea L. Moench) from Salicylic ‎acid and Methyl Jasmonate Elicitors by Monitoring of‏ ‏Morpho-physiological Traits

A factorial experiment was conducted based on randomized complete block design with three replications in Zanjan University (during 1396-97 and 1397-98). Salicylic-acid (control, 50, 100 and 150 mM) and methyl-jasmonate (control, 50, 100 and 200 μM) treatments were sprayed on Echinacea plants (four plants per plot) in the first and second years (two stages, 20 days interval). The results showed that salicylic-acid and methyl-jasmonate have a significant effect on vase-life of flower, leaf-area, fresh and dry weight of roots, chlorophylls a and b and catalase and peroxidase. Also, the highest vase-life of flower was obtained in treatment of 100 mM salicylic-acid and 200 μM methyl-jasmonate and the highest fresh and dry weight of roots and leaf-area were obtained in treatment of 100 mM salicylic-acid and 100 μM methyl-jasmonate. The highest relative water-content of petal and catalase were obtained in treatment of 100 mM salicylic-acid and 100 μM of methyl-jasmonate (first year) and in treatment of 100 mM of salicylic-acid and 50 μM of methyl-jasmonate (second year). The amount of peroxidase was also high in treatments of 100 mM salicylic-acid and 200 μM methyl-jasmonate (first year) and 100 mM salicylic-acid and 100 μM methyl-jasmonate (second year). The highest amount of chlorophyll a in both years and chlorophyll b in the first year were in 100 mM salicylic-acid and 50 μM methyl-jasmonate treatment. Also, the highest amount of total-chlorophyll was obtained in 50 mM salicylic-acid and 200 μmol methyl-jasmonate (first year) and 100 mmol salicylic-acid and 50 μM methyl-jasmonate treatment (second year).