Augmenting drought tolerance in sorghum by silicon nutrition

作者：Ahmed Mukhtar^*; Asif Muhammad; Hassan Fayyaz ul

来源：Acta Physiologiae Plantarum, 2014, 36(2): 473-483.

DOI：10.1007/s11738-013-1427-2

• Silicon nutrition
• Drought tolerance
• Leaf water potential
• Sorghum
• Transpiration
• Water relations

Silicon (Si) distribution and accumulation in plant organs is widely reported as beneficial to overcome biotic and abiotic stresses. The investigation on distribution of Si in plant organs under water stress conditions was studied through experiments conducted at Arid Agriculture University, Pakistan during 2007-2009. Treatments (Si-200: 200 ml l(-1) of potassium silicate and Si-0: control or absence of silicon) were replicated thrice with two sorghum cultivars; SPV462 (drought susceptible) and Johar-1 (drought tolerant) screened using osmotic media of PEG-6000 (-4.0, -6.0, -8.0 and -10.0 MPa). The results exhibited increased leaf water potential, leaf area index, SPAD chlorophyll with increased silicon concentration in leaves and roots of drought-tolerant genotype as compared to SPV462. Johar-1 exhibited maximum values for net assimilation and relative growth rate under silicon treatment in comparison to silicon absence. Similarly, maintenance of transpiration rate, because of accumulation of silicon in leaves resulted in optimum leaf water potential and optimum growth of crop.

• 出版日期2014-2