Effect of salicylic acid in two stages of application on wheat crop

Salicylic acid (SA) is a plant growth regulator and participates in several physiological and biochemical processes. Its use can assist in the growth, development, productivity and quality of several crops. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of salicylic acid in two application stages on wheat crop. The experiment was conducted under field conditions and designed as randomized blocks, with four replications. Treatments 0.5 and 1.0 mM of SA were applied in stages 1 and 10, beginning and end of vegetative growth of wheat plants, besides a control treatment (without SA). Phytointoxication and SPAD index evaluations were performed at 14, 21, 28, and 35 days after application (DAA) of SA and the end of the experiment, 109 DAA the plants were tracked to quantify the mass of a thousand grains, hectoliter weight and grain yield. The application of SA did not cause symptoms of phytointoxication and increased the values of the SPAD index and all components of grain yield compared to the control treatment (without SA). The application of SA promoted a greater increase in the variables analyzed when applied in stage 10 of wheat plants.