Abstract
Given the expectancy of the water supply becoming scarce in the future and more expensive, water conservation during wheat production processes has become very crucial especially in saline sodic soil. Biochar and salicylic acid (SA) were used to assess the potential to alleviate the influences of depletion of available soil moisture (DAM) on physicochemical, physiological, biochemical attributes, as well as wheat production absorption (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Misr 1) and macro-elements. Two seasons (2018/2019 and 2019/2020) of field trials were investigated using twelve combinations of three water treatments (50%, 70%, and 90% DAM) and foliar- and soil-applied treatments (control, biochar, salicylic acid, and biochar + SA). Biochar treated plots amplified soil physicochemical attributes, leading to improved physiological traits and antioxidant enzymes, as well as yield related traits under water limitation conditions in both years. Similarly, synergistic use of biochar and salicylic acid greatly augmented the designed characteristics such as chlorophyll a, b, K+ content, relative water content (RWC), stomatal conductance, photosynthetic rate, and intrinsic water use efficiency, whilst exhibited inhibitory effects on proline content, electrolyte leakage, Na+ content SOD, POX, CAT, and MDA, consequently increased 1000-grain weight, number of grains spike−1, grain yield, as well nutrient uptake (N, P, K) under water limitation condition in both years, followed by treatment of sole biochar or SA compared to unamended plots treatment (control). Wheat productivity achieved further increasing at 70% DAM alongside synergistic use of biochar and SA which was on par with 50% DAM under unamended plots (control). It is concluded from the findings that coupled application of biochar alongside salicylic acid accomplished an efficient approach to mitigate the injurious influences of water limitation, along with further improvement of the soil, physiology, biochemical attributes, and wheat yield, as well nutrient uptake, under saline sodic soil.
Highlights
Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is worldwide the most important food and feed cereals with productivity superior to that of rice and maize
The impact of salicylic acid and biochar on soil chemical parameters of wheat after harvesting under different deficit irrigations (50%, 70%, and 90% depletion of available soil moisture (DAM)) in saline sodic soil are given in (Table 1)
The combined application of salicylic acid and biochar gave the maximum decrease in the pH, EC, Exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP), and Na+ and the maximum increase in K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+ of the soil in comparison with the application of salicylic acid and biochar alone and with that of the control under 50% depletion of available soil moisture, followed by 70% and 90% Depletion of available moisture (DAM) in saline sodic soil
Summary
Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is worldwide the most important food and feed cereals with productivity superior to that of rice and maize. It is greatly cultivated in semiarid zones [1], and currently, cultivation is prolonged to arid zones, which possibly assists to undertake the future food security in problematic zones where water stress and soil salinity are the greater troubles in declining wheat crop [2]. Wheat grain yield is a polygenic characteristic and is likewise affected by a number of environmental factors, including water stresses [7] and soil salinity. It is instantly extremely essential to develop new management practices to cope with this imminent dilemma of food security with low usage of water and soil degradation
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