Effect of Pine Wood Vinegar on Germination, Growth and Physiological Characteristics, and Uptake of Elements in Basil

The use of organic materials is increasing in agriculture and industrial products due to their less side effects than chemical materials. In order to study the effect of pine wood vinegar (Pyroligneous acid) on growth and physiological traits of basil, two experiments were designed and conducted in 2014, based on a completely randomized design with 6 treatments (0, 1250, 2000, 2500, 3333 and 5000 mg/L) and 4 replications. The first experiment was conducted in the laboratory in order to study the wood vinegar priming on basil seeds and the second experiment was performed in the Research Greenhouse of College of Agriculture, Isfahan University of Technology. Application of 1250 mg/L wood vinegar increased germination percentage of the basil seeds and 2500 mg/L treatment speeded up the germination process. In the second experiment, maximum volume and length of roots were observed in the 3333 mg/L treatment and the highest root surface was measured in the 5000 mg/L treatment. Nitrogen concentration in the 3333 mg/L treatment, potassium concentration in the 5000 mg/L treatment, and calcium and iron concentrations in the 1250 mg/L treatment were at the highest level compared to other treatments. Chlorophyll fluorescence, SPAD, ion leakage and chlorophyll a content showed the highest levels in the 3333 mg/L treatment. Based on the results of the second experiment, most growth parameters of the basil were at the highest level by application of 3333 mg/L pine wood vinegar. Therefore, this concentration of pine wood vinegar can be recommended.