Abstract
Drought stress and poor zinc (Zn) are major constraints for commercial agriculture. Their detrimental effects significantly decrease crop’s growth and yield. Less water uptake disturbs the metabolic processes in plants. However, the deficiency of Zn leads to the inactivation of many enzymes. It is well documented that cereal crops, especially wheat, are susceptible to drought and Zn deficiency. Scientists suggest the supplementation of Zn along bio-fertilizers for the sustainable management of these issues. That is why the current experiment was conducted to explore the best combination of Zn and bio-fertilizer for wheat. There were two different recommended concentrations of Zn sulfate (Zinc level 1 (Zn1) = 20 and Zinc level 2 (Zn2) = 40 kg ha−1) applied under normal irrigation (75% field capacity = FC) and severe drought stress (40% FC). Sole and combined inoculation of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM) with Zn1 and Zn2 was also performed. Osmotic stress (40% FC) significantly decreased the examined growth parameters. It also significantly enhanced antioxidant and oxidative indicators in wheat. A significant increase in root fresh weight, root dry weight, and shoot length while a significant decrease in EL, SOD, POD over the control validated the efficacious role of Zn2 + AM. It is concluded that Zn2 + AM can improve wheat root fresh weight and root length wheat under 40% FC. Under different climatic zones, wheat varieties, and soil types, more investigations are recommended to declare Zn2 + AM as the best amendment for improving wheat growth attributes under osmotic stress.
Highlights
The novelty of this study is to investigate the combined effect of mycorrhizal inoculation and Zn fertilizer on wheat to alleviate drought effects
The results showed that Zn 2 (26.0 and 9.7%), arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM)
The main objective of the present study was to analyze the role of Zinc (Zn) fertilizer and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM) for improving wheat growth during drought stress
Summary
Sustainability 2021, 13, 11007 hectares) are under cultivation with very limited production and where the whole yield relies on the mode of water availability [1]. Water availability is the most dominant factor limiting crop yield, especially in semi-arid and arid regions of irrigated agricultural lands. Water stress imbalance between the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidative defense mechanisms results in elevated ROS accumulation, which brings oxidative stress to proteins, lipid peroxidation, and disorganization of DNA fragments [5]. Among the various rhizosphere-inhabited microorganisms, some of them assist plant growth promotion and defense responses. These soil microorganisms act as bio-fertilizers such as rhizobacteria and fungi that colonize the rhizosphere and plant roots and confer advantageous effects to plants [6]
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