Department of Botany, University of Gujrat, Gujrat, Punjab, Pakistan.
Institute of Botany, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.
PeerJ. 2024 Oct 1;12:e17883. doi: 10.7717/peerj.17883. eCollection 2024.
Water deficiency in semiarid regions is a limiting factor that affects crop quality and yield. In Punjab, Pakistan, a 27% decline in maize yield was detected over the past two decades just because of water scarcity. Currently, no studies have reported the effects of organically activated biochar (AB) on crop productivity under natural field conditions. For this purpose, a field experiment in a split-split-plot design was conducted with three amendment levels (0, 2, and 4 tonnes ac), and three maize hybrids (DK-9108, DK-6321, and Sarhaab) under 100%, 70%, and 50% irrigation water (IW) of crop evapotranspiration (ETc). The AB significantly improved the soil's physical and chemical properties, and maximum improvement was recorded in 4 tonnes ac AB amendment in organic matter (16.6%), total organic carbon (17%), phosphorus (11.43%), and available potassium (29.27%). The 4 tonnes acAB amendment in soil had a significant impact on total chlorophyll content (0.3-1-fold in DK-6321), carotenoid content (3.9-4.4-fold in Sarhaab), and relative water content (30% and 21% in Sarhaab) under 50% irrigation water (IW) of ETc at V14th and R3 stages, respectively. Moreover, a significant decline in stress markers (proline content and sugar content) was detected at both growth stages in all maize hybrids in AB amended soil. The analysis of plant metabolites indicated increased intensities of phenolics, alkyl esters, and carbohydrates by 2.5-7%, 17-80%, and 40-43% in DK-6321 under 50% IW in 2-4 tonnes ac AB amended soil, respectively. The highest improvement in growth and yield attributes among maize hybrids was detected in the order DK-6321¿DK-9108¿Sarhaab in 2-4 tonnes acAB amended soil under 70% and 50% IW of ETc, respectively. Hence, this research might help to develop an effective soil amendment to restore degraded soils and improve maize growth under arid climatic conditions.
半干旱地区的水分不足是影响作物质量和产量的限制因素。在巴基斯坦旁遮普省，过去二十年中，由于水资源短缺，玉米产量下降了 27%。目前，尚无研究报告有机激活生物炭 (AB) 在自然田间条件下对作物生产力的影响。为此，采用裂区-裂区设计进行了田间试验，设三个施肥水平（0、2 和 4 吨/亩）和三个玉米杂交种（DK-9108、DK-6321 和 Sarhaab），灌溉水（ETc）为作物蒸发蒸腾量的 100%、70%和 50%。AB 显著改善了土壤的物理和化学性质，在 4 吨/亩 AB 施肥中有机质（增加 16.6%）、总有机碳（增加 17%）、磷（增加 11.43%）和有效钾（增加 29.27%）的改良效果最大。在 ETc 的 50%灌溉水（IW）下，4 吨/亩 AB 处理的土壤对总叶绿素含量（DK-6321 增加 0.3-1 倍）、类胡萝卜素含量（Sarhaab 增加 3.9-4.4 倍）和相对含水量（Sarhaab 增加 30%和 21%）有显著影响分别在 V14 期和 R3 期。此外，在 AB 处理的土壤中，所有玉米杂交种在 V14 期和 R3 期的两个生长阶段，胁迫标记物（脯氨酸含量和糖含量）均显著下降。植物代谢物分析表明，在 AB 处理的土壤中，DK-6321 中酚类、烷基酯和碳水化合物的强度分别增加了 2.5-7%、17-80%和 40-43%。在 ETc 的 70%和 50%IW 下，在 2-4 吨/亩 AB 处理的土壤中，玉米杂交种的生长和产量性状的提高幅度最大，顺序为 DK-6321、DK-9108、Sarhaab。因此，这项研究可能有助于开发有效的土壤改良剂，以恢复退化土壤，并在干旱气候条件下改善玉米生长。
