Fertigation of Ajwain (Trachyspermum ammi L.) with Fe-Glutamate Confers Better Plant Performance and Drought Tolerance in Comparison with FeSO4

Qasim Ali,Sumreena Shahid,Mohamed A El-Esawi,Naeem Iqbal,Abdullah I Hussain,Muhammad Rizwan,Mohammed Nasser Alyemeni,Shafaqat Ali,Hamed A El-Serehy,Rashida Perveen,Fahad A Al-Misned

doi:10.3390/su12177119

Abstract

Shortage of fresh water limits crop yield. Different ways including the use of chemicals are being employed for the improvement in yield through induction of plant performance. In the present study, ajwain plants grown under water stress and normal irrigation conditions were fertigated with Fe-chelated glutamate (Fe-Glu), as a foliar spray for the induction of plant performance in comparison with FeSO4. Water shortage adversely affected the plant growth and seed yield, associated with decreased uptake of water and nutrients, along with perturbations in different physio-biochemical attributes. On the other hand, Fe-Glu and FeSO4 fertigation improved plant performance under water stress and normal irrigation conditions. Fe-Glu and FeSO4 fertigation ameliorated the adverse effects of water stress on biomass and seed production, improved water and nutrients uptake, increased the accumulation of essential amino acids, leaf chlorophyll and carotenoids, and reduced the lipid peroxidation due to the induction of antioxidative mechanisms. Fertigation of Fe-Glu and FeSO4 also improved Fe uptake and conferred better mobility and availability of Fe for plants when applied in chelated form. Overall, a significant improvement in ajwain performance under water stress and normal irrigation conditions was recorded due to the fertigation of Fe-Glu as compared with FeSO4.

Highlights

Shortage of fresh water along with the changes in global environmental conditions have created a problem for the agricultural researchers to fulfill the food demand for the increasing world population with a target to fulfill this demand till 2050 [1,2]
Exogenously-applied Fe-chelated glutamate (Fe-Glu) and FeSO4 as foliar spray was found effective in improving all studied morphological and growth attributes. More improvement in these morphological and growth attributes was due to foliar spray with both levels of Fe-Glu in comparison with FeSO4
Foliar application of different levels of Fe-Glu was found more effective in improving the performance and the water stress tolerance of ajwain plants in terms of improved growth and yield in comparison with FeSO4

Summary

Introduction

Shortage of fresh water along with the changes in global environmental conditions have created a problem for the agricultural researchers to fulfill the food demand for the increasing world population with a target to fulfill this demand till 2050 [1,2]. Global environmental changes have altered the ongoing rainfall patterns all over the world, resulting in drought stress in some areas and flooding in others [3] Under such conditions, the demand for food is increasing due to the deleterious effects of drought on crop production [4,5]. Among different essential micro-nutrients, iron (Fe) is an important one due to its multiple roles in plant cellular metabolic activities linked to enhanced plant growth, metabolism, and morphology [12]. It is important for maintaining the function and structure of chloroplast involved in chlorophyll biosynthesis [13]. As a part of Fe-S centers, it plays an important role in the electron transport chain [16]

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