Modulation of Antioxidant Defense Mechanisms and Morpho-Physiological Attributes of Wheat through Exogenous Application of Silicon and Melatonin under Water Deficit Conditions

Abdul Sattar (), Ahmad Sher, Muhammad Ijaz, Sami Ul-Allah, Sajjad Hussain, Umair Rasheed, Jamshad Hussain, Salem Mesfir Al-Qahtani, Nadi Awad Al-Harbi, Samy F. Mahmoud and Mohamed F. M. Ibrahim
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Abdul Sattar: College of Agriculture, University of Layyah, Layyah 31200, Pakistan
Ahmad Sher: College of Agriculture, University of Layyah, Layyah 31200, Pakistan
Muhammad Ijaz: College of Agriculture, University of Layyah, Layyah 31200, Pakistan
Sami Ul-Allah: College of Agriculture, University of Layyah, Layyah 31200, Pakistan
Sajjad Hussain: Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Umair Rasheed: College of Agriculture, University of Layyah, Layyah 31200, Pakistan
Jamshad Hussain: Adaptive Research Farm, Lahore 54000, Pakistan
Salem Mesfir Al-Qahtani: Biology Department, University College of Tayma, University of Tabuk, Tabuk P.O. Box 741, Saudi Arabia
Nadi Awad Al-Harbi: Biology Department, University College of Tayma, University of Tabuk, Tabuk P.O. Box 741, Saudi Arabia
Samy F. Mahmoud: Department of Biotechnology, College of Science, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia
Mohamed F. M. Ibrahim: Department of Agricultural Botany, Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11566, Egypt

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 9, 1-18

Abstract: Although the individual influences of silicon (Si) and melatonin (MT) have been widely studied under various abiotic stresses, little is known about their interaction under drought stress. In this study, an experiment in pots was carried out to investigate the potential of an individual or combined foliar application of silicon (Si) and melatonin (ML) (control (ck), water spray, 4.0 mM Si, 200 µM ML, and 4.0 mM Si + 200 µM ML) on wheat grown at two different water-holding capacity levels (80% well-water condition and 40% drought stress) in order to check of grain yield and some important physiological characteristics. Under drought stress conditions, grain yield and yield attributes, water content and photosynthetic efficiency of wheat crops were significantly decreased. Application of Si+ ML significantly improved leaf pigments (Chl a, Chl b and Chll a + b), leaf relative water content (RWC), proline, total soluble sugars, and total soluble protein. As well as, the activities of important antioxidant enzymes, including catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) were effectively boosted through the combined application of Si + ML. This improvement was correlated with an obvious decrease in the levels of MDA, H 2 O 2 , and electrolyte leakage and increased water use efficiency. Conclusively, the combination of Si + ML significantly enhanced the 20.21% yield and various morpho-physiological attributes of drought-stressed wheat plants and can be recommended as a promising treatment to enhance wheat productivity in drought-affected regions. Additionally, the results of this study may open up a whole new area of research opportunities at the transcriptional level to further understand the mechanisms underlying how Si + ML integrates and interacts with plants under drought stress.

Keywords: drought tolerance; melatonin; silicon; osmolytes; enzymatic antioxidants (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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