The Use of Soil Conditioners to Ensure a Sustainable Wheat Yield under Water Deficit Conditions by Enhancing the Physiological and Antioxidant Potentials

Muhammad Kashif Ejaz, Muhammad Aurangzaib, Rashid Iqbal, Muhammad Shahzaman, Muhammad Habib-ur-Rahman, Mohamed El-Sharnouby, Rahul Datta, Fahad M. Alzuaibr, Mohamed I. Sakran, Chukwuma C. Ogbaga and Ayman EL Sabagh
Additional contact information
Muhammad Kashif Ejaz: Department of Agronomy, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan
Muhammad Aurangzaib: Department of Agronomy, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan
Rashid Iqbal: Department of Agronomy, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan
Muhammad Shahzaman: School of Atmospheric Sciences, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
Muhammad Habib-ur-Rahman: Crop Science, Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation (INRES), University of Bonn, 53115 Bonn, Germany
Mohamed El-Sharnouby: Department of Biotechnology, College of Science, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia
Rahul Datta: Department of Geology and Pedology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, 61300 Brno, Czech Republic
Fahad M. Alzuaibr: Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Tabuk, Tabuk 71491, Saudi Arabia
Mohamed I. Sakran: Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Science, University of Tabuk, Tabuk 47512, Saudi Arabia
Chukwuma C. Ogbaga: Department of Biological Sciences, Nile University of Nigeria, Airport Road, Abuja 900001, Nigeria
Ayman EL Sabagh: Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh 33516, Egypt

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 3, 1-17

Abstract: Traditional mulch material (farmyard manure) has long been used in agriculture. However, recent developments have also introduced the scientific community and farmers to advanced chemicals such as potassium polyacrylamide (KPAM), which has revolutionised the concept of the soil water-holding capacity to many compared with other materials being used. To compare the effect of different organic and inorganic soil amendment materials under water stress conditions, a two-year (2018 and 2019) field study was conducted. The main plots consisted of irrigation treatments, i.e., I 0 (control irrigation), I 1 (drought-induced by skipping irrigation at the 4th leaf stage), and I 2 (drought-induced by skipping irrigation at the anthesis stage). The subplots included a control treatment and soil amended with different conditioners such as potassium polyacrylamide (KPAM, 30 kg/ha), farmyard manure (FYM, 4 tons/ha), and biochar (10 tons/ha); these were mixed thoroughly with the soil before sowing. The results showed a significant reduction in the water relation parameters (water potential up to 35.77% and relative water content up to 21%), gas exchange parameters (net CO 2 assimilation rate up to 28.85%, stomatal conductance up to 43.18%, and transpiration rate up to 49.07%), and yield attributes (biological yield up to 8.45% and grain yield up to 32.22%) under drought stress conditions. In addition, water stress also induced an increase in the synthesis of osmoprotectants (proline up to 77.74%, total soluble sugars up to 27.43%, and total free amino acids up to 11.73%). Among all the soil conditioners used, KPAM significantly reduced the negative effects of drought stress on the wheat plants. Thus, it could be concluded that the use of soil conditioners is a promising method for dealing with the negative consequences of drought stress for achieving sustainable crop yields.

Keywords: wheat; drought stress; KPAM; farmyard manure; biochar; water relations; yield; arid climate (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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