Ejaz Ahmad Waraich

Improving agricultural water use efficiency by nutrient management in crop plants

Abstract Improvement of agricultural water use efficiency is of major concern with drought problems being one of the most important factors limiting grain production worldwide. Effective management of water for crop production in water-scarce areas requires efficient approaches. Increasing crop water use efficiency and drought tolerance by genetic improvement and physiological regulation may be a means to achieve efficient and effective use of water. A limited water supply inhibits the photosynthesis of plants, causes changes of chlorophyll contents and components and damage to photosynthetic apparatus. It also inhibits photochemical activities and decreases the activities of enzymes in plants. Water stress is one of the important factors inhibiting the growth and photosynthetic abilities of plants through disturbing the balance between the production of reactive oxygen species and the antioxidant defence, causing accumulation of reactive oxygen species which induce oxidative stress to proteins, membrane lipids and other cellular components. A number of approaches are being used to enhance water use efficiency and to minimize the detrimental effect of water stress in crop plants. Proper plant nutrition is a good strategy to enhance water use efficiency and productivity in crop plants. Plant nutrients play a very important role in enhancing water use efficiency under limited water supply. In this paper we discuss the possible effective techniques to improve water use efficiency and some macronutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium), micronutrients (zinc, boron, iron, manganese, molybdenum and chloride), and silicon (a beneficial nutrient) in detail to show how these nutrients play their role in enhancing water use efficiency in crop plant.

Effect of selenium foliar spray on physiological and biochemical processes and chemical constituents of wheat under drought stress

Selenium (Se) is considered an essential micronutrient for humans, animals and plants due to its physiological and antioxidative properties. The positive role of Se in attenuation of drastic effects of various environmental stresses in plants is, however, still unclear and need to be explored. The present study aimed at investigating the physiological and biochemical changes induced by Se foliar spray to improve the drought tolerance potential of wheat. Additionally, we also examined the effect of supplemental Se on uptake of nutrients using detection by ICP-OES. Foliar Se application significantly lowered osmotic potential (13%) that markedly improved turgor by 63%, enhanced transpiration rate (60%), improved accumulation of total soluble sugars (33%) and free amino acids (118%) and activity of antioxidant system which ultimately increased the grain yield by 24%. Supplemental Se also significantly increased Se contents (5.77µgg(-1)DW) and improved Fe (91%) and Na (16%) uptake, whereas it reduced Zn accumulation by 54% and did not affect Ca contents. The results supported our hypothesis that supplemental Se influences nutrients uptake and wheat yield through maintenance of turgor and gas exchange characteristics and enhancement in antioxidant system activity.

5-Aminolevulinic acid alleviates the salinity-induced changes in Brassica napus as revealed by the ultrastructural study of chloroplast

5-Aminolevulinic acid (ALA) is an important plant growth regulator which is derived from 5-carbon aliphatic amino acid. The present study investigates the interaction of increasing NaCl-salinity and ALA on plant growth, leaf pigment composition, leaf and root Na(+)/K(+) ratio and chloroplast ultrastructure in mesophyll cells of oilseed rape (Brassica napus) leaves. The plants were treated hydroponically with three different salinity levels (0, 100, 200 mM) and foliar application of ALA (30 mg l(-1)) simultaneously. Ten days after treatment, higher NaCl-salinity significantly reduced the plant biomass and height. However, ALA application restored the plant biomass and plant height under saline conditions. A concentration-dependent increase in Na(+) uptake was observed in the aerial parts of B. napus plants. On the other hand, ALA reduced Na(+) uptake, leading to a significant decrease in Na(+)/K(+) ratio. Accumulation of Na(+) augmented the oxidative stress, which was evident by electron microscopic images, highlighting several changes in cell shape and size, chloroplast swelling, increased number of plastogloubli, reduced starch granules and dilations of the thylakoids. Foliar application of ALA improved the energy supply and investment in mechanisms (higher chlorophyll and carotenoid contents, enhanced photosynthetic efficiency), reduced the oxidative stress as evident by the regular shaped chloroplasts with more intact thylakoids. On the basis of these results we can suggest that ALA is a promising plant growth regulator which can improve plant survival under salinity.

Supplemental selenium improves wheat grain yield and quality through alterations in biochemical processes under normal and water deficit conditions

The paper mainly reported the effects of exogenous selenium (Se) supply (Se seed priming, Se fertigation and Se foliar spray) on physiological and antioxidant system of wheat aiming to clarify its effect on yield and nutritional quality of wheat under both normal and water deficit conditions. Water stress markedly decreased the grain Se, iron (Fe), phosphorous (P), zinc (Zn) and magnesium (Mg) contents. Supplemental Se (Na2SeO4) improved the yield and quality of water stressed plants due to enhancement in the production of osmoprotectants and increased activity of antioxidant enzymes. The foliar spray of Se was more effective than Se fertigation and Se seed treatment. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first elaborate study that involved various Se application methods to evaluate the efficiency of Se supply to plants that would be crucial to develop better understanding of Se translocation and accumulation within crop plants under drought stress.

NUTRIENT UPTAKE, PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES, AND YIELD ATTRIBUTES OF WHEAT (TRITICUM AESTIVUM L.) EXPOSED TO EARLY AND LATE DROUGHT STRESS

The response of different wheat cultivars to drought imposed after three and six weeks of seedling emergence was evaluated in the wire house. The seeds of recommended local wheat cultivars were sown in plastic pots. The drought stress decreased the water relation, nutrient uptake and grain yield of all the wheat cultivars. The early drought stress significantly reduced the nitrogen (N) uptake by 38% while late drought stress decreased nitrogen uptake by 46%. The phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) uptake were decreased by 49% and 37% under early drought stress, respectively while their uptake was decreased by 51% each under late drought stress. Grain yield was reduced by 24% under early drought stress while it was reduced by 60% under late drought stress. Water deficit at early growth stages reduced grain weight by 10% while it was reduced by 35% under water deficit at later stages of growth.

Selenium (Se) Regulates Seedling Growth in Wheat under Drought Stress

Selenium (Se) is an essential micronutrient with a range of physiological and antioxidative properties. Reports regarding effect of Se application on plants growth and development are not consistent. The identification of effective Se dose and application method is crucial for better understanding of Se translocation within crop plants under drought stress. The present study aimed at investigating the role of Se supplementation in improving the drought tolerance potential of wheat at early growth stages. Two wheat genotypes (Kohistan-97 and Pasban-90) were grown in plastic pots (8 × 12 cm) in green/wire-house experiments. Results demonstrated that the growth and biomass of seedlings increased at high Se foliar concentrations and decreased at low and high Se fertigation levels. The seedlings exhibited the highest values for plant height stress tolerance index (PHSI), root length stress tolerance index (RLSI), dry matter stress tolerance index (DMSI), and fresh matter stress tolerance indices (FMSI) at Se fertigation level of 7.35 μM, whereas Se foliar treatment of 7.06 μM resulted in maximum values for these indices. The seedlings foliarly sprayed with Se maintained higher DMSI and FMSI than those fertigated with Se which suggests that Se foliar spray is more effective than Se fertigation for improving drought tolerance.

Phytoremediation: Mechanisms and Adaptations

Metal contamination of soils is ubiquitous around the globe. Metals accumulate in the soils to toxic levels that may lead to accumulation of metals in plants to unacceptable levels. Metal accumulation is a subject of serious concern due to the threat to plant growth, soil quality, animal and human health. Cleaning up of the soils to remove metals is a current necessity, but it is a challenging task. Different technologies being used nowadays are ex situ which ensues in destruction of soil structure thus leaving it non-useable with poor vegetative cover. Growing plants to clean up the soils is a cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative. Phytoremediation seems attractive due to non-invasive and non-destructive technology which leaves the soil intact and biologically productive. Plants use different adaptive mechanisms to accumulate or exclude metals, thus maintaining their growth. Accumulation and tolerance of metals by the plants is a complex phenomenon. Movement of metals across the root membrane, loading and translocation of metals through the xylem and sequestration and detoxification of metals at cellular and whole plant levels are important mechanisms adopted by accumulator plants. Understanding the mechanism involved in phytoremediation is necessary to effectively use this technique for metal-contaminated soils. This chapter discusses different mechanisms adopted by plants for remediation of metal-contaminated soils.

Selenium (Se) improves drought tolerance in crop plants – a myth or fact?

Climate change has emerged as one of the most complex challenges of the 21st century and has become an area of interest in the past few decades. Many countries of the world have become extremely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The scarcity of water is a serious concern for food security of these countries and climate change has aggravated the risks of extreme events like drought. Oxidative stress, caused by a variety of active oxygen species formed under drought stress, damages many cellular constituents, such as carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids and proteins, which ultimately reduces plant growth, respiration and photosynthesis. Se has become an element of interest to many biologists owing to its physiological and toxicological importance. It plays a beneficial role in plants by enhancing growth, reducing damage caused by oxidative stress, enhancing chlorophyll content under light stress, stimulating senesce to produce antioxidants and improving plant tolerance to drought stress by regulating water status. Researchers have adopted different strategies to evaluate the role of selenium in plants under drought stress. Some of the relevant work available regarding the role of Se in alleviating adverse effect of drought stress is discussed in this paper.

Impact of water and nutrient management on the nutritional quality of wheat.

Field experiments were conducted in 2002–03 and 2003–04 growing seasons to determine wheat response to four irrigation regimes applied at different growth stages and four nitrogen levels of 0, 50, 100, and 150 kg nitrogen (N) ha−1. The experiment was conducted at the research area of the Department of Crop Physiology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan. Recommended wheat variety “Inqlab-91” was used as the experimental crop. Both irrigation and nitrogen application have positive effects on grain yield increase. The grain crude protein decreased with increasing number of irrigations whereas in contrast, nitrogen application significantly improved grain crude protein at all irrigation levels. Grain phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) percentage increased with the application of irrigation and nitrogen. Grain yield, number of spikes m−2, grains spike−1 and grain weight responses were greater at the higher N rates. Mean grain yield in four, three and two irrigation treatments compared with that in one irrigation treatment increased 47, 23, and 9% during 2002–03 and 91, 84, and 23% in 2003–04, respectively. Water deficit reduced spikes m−2. In both years, the average reduction in spikes m−2 at maximum irrigation deficit (one irrigation) at all N levels was 24%. Similar reduction occurred in grains spike−1 where water deficit decreased this component on an average of 36%.

WATER STRESS AND NITROGEN MANAGEMENT EFFECTS ON GAS EXCHANGE, WATER RELATIONS, AND WATER USE EFFICIENCY IN WHEAT

A field experiment was conducted over two years to evaluate the gas exchange, water relations, and water use efficiency (WUE) of wheat under different water stress and nitrogen management practices at Crop Physiology Research Area, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan. Four irrigation regimes and four nitrogen levels, i.e., 0, 50, 100, and 150 kg N ha−1 were applied in this study. The photosynthetic gas exchange parameters [net carbon dioxide (CO2) assimilation rate, transpiration rate and stomatal conductance] are remarkably improved by water application and nitrogen (N) nutrition. Plants grown under four irrigation treatments as compared with those grown under one irrigation treatment average stomatal conductance increased from 0.15 to 0.46 μ mol m−2s−1mol during 2002–2003 and 0.18 to 0.33 μ mol m−2s−1mol during the year 2003–2004 and photosynthetic rate from 9.33 to 13.03 μmol CO2 m−2 s−1 and 3.99 to 7.75 μmol CO2 m−2 s−1 during the year 2002–2003 and 2003–2004, respectively. The exposure of plants to water and nitrogen stress lead to noticeable decrease in leaf water potential, osmotic potential and relative water content. Relative water content (RWC) of stressed plants dropped from 98 to 75% with the decrease in number of irrigation and nitrogen nutrition. The higher leaf water potential, and relative water contents were associated with higher photosynthetic rate. Water use efficiency (WUE) reduced with increasing number of irrigations and increased with increasing applied nitrogen at all irrigation levels.