PJB-2024-1509
Enhancing maize growth and mitigating salinity stress through foliar application of proline and glycine betaine
Inam Irshad, Muhammad Anwar-Ul-Haq, Javaid Akhtar and Muhammad Maqsood
Abstract
Salinity stress is a major problem for crop productivity worldwide. It reduces crop growth and yield by disrupting the plant's physiological and metabolic processes. However, osmolytes usage as foliar is suggested to overcome this issue to some extent in plants. These osmolytes have the potential to decrease the uptake of toxicity-generating ions, thus playing a vital role in the regulation of plant growth. However, regarding use of their best application rate still needs scientific attention. That’s why the current study was conducted with the objective of determining the effectiveness of osmolytes, i.e., proline (Pro) and glycine betaine (GB) usage, on maize under salinity stress. For that hybrid maize variety (Monsanto DK-6789) was sown on soils having EC2 (control), 5, and 10 dSm-1. Osmolytes proline and glycine betaine were applied as foliar at concentrations of 20mM, 40mM, and 60mM. The results showed that osmolytes foliar application, i.e., proline 60mM and glycine betaine 60mM performed significantly best for improving maize growth, chlorophyll contents, and potassium uptake. At the highest salinity level of 10 dS/m, the Pro20 treatment showed a 6.0% reduction in electrolyte leakage compared to the control group, while the Pro40 and Pro60 treatments demonstrated significant reductions of 24.1% and 30.0%, respectively. Likewise, the GB20, GB40, and GB60 treatments exhibited reductions of 17.4%, 32.1%, and 40.2%, respectively, compared to the control group. In conclusion, the foliar proline 60mM and glycine betaine 60mM application is an effective strategy for mitigating the negative impact of salinity stress on maize growth and productivity
To Cite this article:
Irshad, I., M.A. Haq, J. Akhtar and M. Maqsood. 2024. Enhancing maize growth and mitigating salinity stress through foliar application of proline and glycine betaine. Pak. J. Bot., 56(1): DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.30848/PJB2024-1(34)
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