SOUTHERN JOURNAL OF SCIENCES

Abstract:
Today, salinity stress causes extensive damage to crops, and high soil salinity is one of the limiting factors for crop yields. A practical approach to lessen the negative effect of salinity stress is to use mineral nutrition methods such as spraying plants with silicone. To investigate and compare the effect of silicon and silicon nano-chelate on the wheat plant resistance (Shiroodi cultivar) to salinity stress, a factorial experiment was designed and conducted in a completely randomized design with five replications under hydroponic conditions. Experimental treatments included concentrations of 0 and 2 mmol/L silicon, 0 and 0.424 g/L silicon nano-chelate, 0 and 150 mmol/L sodium chloride, and their interaction. The growth and physiological indices showed that salinity stress decreasing effect on shoot dry weight, root fresh weight, catalase activity, and ascorbate peroxidase. These increases indicate the activation of the plant defense system against salinity stress conditions. The results also showed that silicon nano-chelate treatment under salinity stress reduced dry and fresh weights of roots and shoots. These two compounds additionally influenced the content of catalase activity, ascorbate peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase content in shoots. Simultaneously, the silicon and silicon nano-chelate treatment under salinity stress reduced the dry and fresh weight of roots and shoots, catalase activity, and ascorbate peroxidase. Therefore, the results obtained in this study generally showed that silicon under salinity stress increased plant growth and positively affected the activity of its antioxidant system. But silicon nano-chelate not only did not improve plant performance but also reduced its growth.

Link: Open
DOI: 10.48141/SJS.v29.n30.2021.02_DELAVAR_pgs_14_24.pdf