Effect of heat stress on growth and productivity of salvia officinalis grown at Meshgin-Shahr, Ardabil

Salvia is a perennial woody shrub native to the Mediterranean area, and its leaves are used as raw materials in medicine, perfume, and the food industry. Heat stress and high temperate occur frequently during the growth and development of spring-cultivated plants. Studying the growth, productivity, and morphological traits of these plants under heat stress is necessary to optimize their cropping techniques. The experiment was performed at research farm of Meshgin-Shahr Faculty of Agriculture, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili during ۲۰۱۹ growing season. Seedling of the salvia officinalis was performed at early of May (optimum seedling date) and early of June (late seedling date) whereas plant growth and development takes place under heat stress condition. Plant height, main stem branch number, leaf length, leaf width, stem diameter, main stem internode number and plant fresh weight were measured at the end of the season (at late of September). The results showed that there were no significant differences between optimum and late seedling in terms of measured traits except for stem diameter. Heat stress imposed in late seedling conditions decreased stem diameter by ۱۷ percent. These results show that salvia officinalis can adapt to heat stress conditions and sustains its growth and productivity.

Keywords:

salvia officinalis , heat stress , morphological traits.