Drought stress alleviation through nutrient management in Cyamopsis tetrogonoloba L.

Abstract

Drought is one of the most serious issues since it reduces plant development and, as a result, yield significantly. This research is an attempt to provide an organic solution to combat the global issue of plant stress due to drought. To reduce the impact of drought on Cyamopsis tetragonoloba, the traditional preparation Panchagavya was used, and its effects on growth, photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic pigment synthesis, thylakoid protein composition, antioxidant activity, anatomy, and yield were investigated. Initially, drought had a negative effect on plant growth and other activities; however, as the duration of the treatment increased, the effect of drought decreased significantly. The plants that were under drought stress and were provided with nutrients, showed more plant growth and yield. Flavonoid and anthocyanin production was 50% higher in the plants under drought stress with nutrient supplementation than in the plants under drought stress and the control plants. The accumulation of 55, 47, 33, 27, and 20 kDa polypeptides of thylakoid protein also increased under nutrient conditions. Drought stress reduced overall fruit output by 10% relative to the control group (well irrigate plants). Nutrition management increased plant performance under stress conditions. Fresh & dry pod weights of control, drought stress, and drought with nutrients were recorded at 3.2 g & 0.6 g, 3 g & 0.52 g, and 4.5 g & 1.2 g, respectively. Under drought stress with nutrients, plants had more stomata per unit than control plants. This is the first study in which Panchagavya was used to alleviate drought. With the addition of beneficial nutrients, water use efficiency can be improved, and drought's negative impacts can be mitigated tangentially by activating plant physiological, biochemical, and metabolic processes. This study will add the crucial information required to determine the response of plants under drought stress conditions as well as how to alleviate its effects in a traditional organic way.