Exploring the potential impact of salicylic acid and jasmonic acid in promoting seed oil content, vitamin C and antioxidant activity in rosehip (Rosa canina L.)

Rosehip (Rosa canina L.) is a perennial medicinal plant from the Rosaceae family. Due to its important bioactive compounds and oil, its use in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries is expanding. As elicitation is an effective strategy for the production of secondary metabolites and oil, this study aimed to investigate the exogenous application of salicylic acid (SA) (0, 1, 2, and 3 mM) and jasmonic acid (JA) (0, 0.5, 1, and 1.5 mM) on the accumulation and production of oil, the profile of seed fatty acids, as well as the content of phenolic acids, vitamin C, total carotenoid, anthocyanin, total phenolic content, and total flavonoid content of rosehip pericarp. Based on the results, applying SA and JA externally increased the seed oil content by 32.57% compared to the control. The treatment of 3 mM SA and 1.5 mM JA resulted in the highest (11.68%) seed oil content. Eicosanoic acid and palmitic acid production increased under this treatment, while the amount of linoleic acid decreased as the concentrations of SA and JA increased. There was a significant increase in the amount of phenolic acids in rosehip pericarp extract under the influence of SA and JA treatments. Spraying with 3 mM SA and 1.5 mM JA increased vitamin C content and total phenol content by 50.44% and 39.13%, respectively, compared to the control. Additionally, the treatment of 2 mM SA and 1.5 mM JA resulted in the highest total flavonoid content, antioxidant activity, and total carotenoid. These results suggest that using appropriate concentrations of SA and JA as biodegradable, fast, and cost-effective stimulants can be a suitable solution for increasing the production of seed oil content and secondary metabolites of rosehip extract on a large scale, supplying raw material for pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food industries.