Impact of water deficit (salt and drought) stress on physiological, biochemical and yield attributes on wheat (Triticum aestivum) varieties

Abstract

This investigation was carried out to assess the combined effect of salt stress and drought on physiological and biochemical traits in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) varieties so as to deduce the probable mechanism of stress tolerance in these varieties. Two salt tolerant (Kharchia 65 and KRL 210) and two salt sensitive (HD 2851 and HD 2009) wheat varieties were subjected to salt (50 mM and 100 mM NaCl) and drought (25% and 50% water deficit) stresses alone as well as in combination to study the interactive effects of salt × drought stresses under pot house conditions at seedling stage. The data recorded on physiological (membrane injury, relative water content, chlorophyll content, Na+, K+, Cl- and K+/Na+), biochemical (total soluble sugars and proline) and yield (number of tillers, productive tillers, biomass, and 1000 seed weight) attributes indicated the effect of salt and drought stresses in the studied varieties. These stresses caused a significant decline in chlorophyll content, K+ content, number of tillers, number of productive tillers, biomass and yield in sensitive varieties, while the tolerant ones were least affected. The sensitive varieties HD 2851 and HD 2009 accumulated the highest Na+ and Cl+ content, whereas Kharchia 65 (tolerant) accumulated the lowest amount of these ions. All the varieties, however, showed increased accumulation of compatible solutes (total soluble sugars and proline) with inclined stress which helped in osmotic adjustment. Consistent and significant reductions were observed in number of tillers as well as in productive tillers with every successive increase in salt and drought stresses. Yield in terms of 1000 seed weight followed the trend: 34.51 g in Kharchia 65>28.52 g in KRL 210>24.89 g in HD 2009>24.55 g in HD 2851.

Effect of strigolactone on growth, photosynthetic efficiency, antioxidant activity, and osmolytes accumulation in different maize ( Zea mays L.) hybrids grown under drought stress

“…The perceived limit to producing food for a growing global population remains a source of debate and preoccupation despite the agriculture sector’s historical ability to meet such demand. 4 Abiotic stresses like heavy metals, salinity, water scarcity, high ambient temperature, etc., are the most significant limiting factors of plant survival and growth under the increasing crisis of climatic changes. 5 These environmental factors are alarming the world’s food security and deterioration of the nutritional quality of significant agricultural products.…”

Application of thiourea ameliorates drought induced oxidative injury in Linum usitatissimum L. by regulating antioxidant defense machinery and nutrients absorption

“…A sufficient mineral nutrient supply in the rhizosphere is essential for plants to show avoidance mechanisms or mitigation responses under environmental stresses [ 87 ]. Reduced Ca 2+ uptake in stressful situations led to less Ca 2+ sticking to the plasma membrane [ 89 , 90 ]. This caused a change in membrane permeability, which could be seen as K + leaking out of the cell [ 91 ].…”

Host–parasite interaction: an insight into the growth and physiological responses of sandalwood and associated host species

“…The LI-6800 portable photosynthesis system with a standard 6 cm 2 leaf chamber (LI-COR, Inc., Lincoln, NE, United States) was used for the measurement of net rates of leaf photosynthesis, intercellular CO 2 concentration, transpiration, stomatal conductance, and vapor pressure deficit (VPD, KPa) during 09:00 am to 11:00 am on 2 consecutive sunny days. Cuvette conditions were regulated at an ambient CO 2 concentration of 400 ppm, relative humidity >60%, a photosynthetic photon flux density of 1,000 μmol m −2 s −1 , and leaf temperature of 25°C (Kumar et al, 2018(Kumar et al, , 2019. The uniform and fully expanded leaves of host plants and sandalwood were considered for measuring the gas exchange attributes.…”