Open Access

ARTICLE

Biochar Application Improves the Drought Tolerance in Maize Seedlings

A. Sattar^1,*, A. Sher^1,*, M. Ijaz¹, M. Irfan², M. Butt¹, T. Abbas¹, S. Hussain², A. Abbas¹, M. S. Ullah³, M. A. Cheema⁴

1 College of Agriculture, Bahauddin Zakariya University Bahadur Sub-Campus, Layyah, 31200, Pakistan.
2 Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture Science and Technology Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, 60800, Pakistan.
3 Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Government College University, Faisalabad, 38000, Pakistan. 4School of Science and the Environment, Grenfell Campus Memorial University of Newfoundland, Corner Brook, 2000, A2H 5G4, Canada.

* Corresponding Authors: A. Sher. Email: ; A. Sattar. Email: .

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2019, 88(4), 379-388. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2019.04784

Abstract

Application of biochar to agricultural soils is mostly used to improve soil fertility. Experimental treatments were comprised of two factors: i) drought at two level, i.e., 80% and 40% water holding capacity (WHC) which was maintained on gravimetric basis ii) three levels of biochar i.e., control, 2 t ha^-1 and 4 t ha^-1 added to soil. Experimentation was done to examine potential of biochar application to enhance the growth attributes, water relations, photosynthetic pigments and antioxidants activities in maize (Zea mays L.) seedlings. Results of study revealed that biochar application increased the growth qualities (total seedlings biomass, dry weight of shoot and root, shoot length and root length). In addition; contents of photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a, b, a + b and a/b), water relation (relative water contents, turgor potential, osmotic potential and water potential) were improved significantly due to addition of biochar. Addition of 4 t ha^-1 biochar led to significant rise activity of enzymatic antioxidant catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) in leaf of maize seedling sunder drought as well as well watered circumstances. However, biochar applied at the rate 4 t ha^-1 improved the all the physiological and biochemical attributes in maize seedlings under drought. From the results it was concluded that biochar application is an efficient way to alleviate adverse effect of drought stress on maize. In drought prone areas, long term impacts of biochar on production of maize and properties of soil could be recommended as upcoming shove.

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