Improvement in physio-biochemical characteristics of shallot plants with nano silica at several levels of drought stress

Abstract

Plants are stressed if the environment in which they grow changes, which can reduce the rate of vegetative and generative growth and finally the production of plant. One of the factors that causes stress in plants is the availability of water which greatly influences the productivity of shallot plants as shown by changes in physiological and biochemical characters. Analysis of physiobiochemical characteristics of shallots for the application of nano silica at several levels of water stress is the aim of this research. Parameters analyzed at the Central Pharmacy Research Laboratory Faculty of Pharmacy, Tissue Culture Laboratory and Disease Laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Sumatera Utara, November 2022 to March 2023. This study used RBCD with 2 treatment factors. The first factor namely water stress condition (80, 60 and 40% field capacity). The second factor namely the application of nano silica which consisted of 4 levels of concentration (0, 6, 12 and 18 g/l). The results showed that the addition of water based on field capacity at 80% optimal conditions significantly increasing chlorophyll a, b, and total, leaf relative water content, H2O2 and SOD enzymes. Application of nanosilica at concentration of 18 g/l significantly increased chlorophyll a, b and total.