Vegetative Growth Parameters of Clove Plant Dianthus Caryophyllus L and Its Response to Salicylic Acid and Yeast Extract

ABSTRACT This factorial study was conducted in a nursery in Baghdad during the 2024-2025 agricultural season. It included three replicates and two treatments: salicylic acid (at two concentrations) and yeast extract (at three concentrations), Besides the control transaction which is zero. The aim of the experiment was to evaluate the physiological effects of spraying clove plants with two concentrations of salicylic acid (50 and 100 ppm), in addition to a control treatment (no spray). Three concentrations of yeast extract (4, 8 and 12 g.L-¹), in addition to the control treatment (without spraying), the number of experimental units was 36. The results showed that spraying with salicylic acid (50 and 100 ppm) had a clear positive role in the vegetative growth indicators of the current study, which are (plant height, root length, number of leaves, fresh and dry weight of both the vegetative and root systems). as it led to significant increases in the rates and values of these indicators compared to untreated plants. The yeast extract also had a significant and effective impact in improving these indicators, and the interaction between the two factors (acid and extract) also had a significant impact, as the combined treatment between concentrations of 100 ppm of acid and 12 g.L-¹ of extract recorded the highest values for all studied traits. While the lowest values were in the no-spray treatment for the study factors, which is the control treatment