Page 179 - C:\Users\am_se\OneDrive - Higher Education Commission\Desktop\FlipBook\

International Conference on

Recent Trends in Environmental Sustainability

ESCON22/NMsB/18
Efficacy of silicon nanoparticles for wheat growth under combined effects of ozone and
salinity

a
a
a
a
Junaid Iqbal Duggal , Muhammad Adrees *, Shafaqat Ali , Muhamamd Rizwan , Mubeena
a
Iram
a Department of Environmental Sciences & Engineering, Government College University,
Allama Iqbal Road, 38000 Faisalabad, Pakistan
Correspondence: madrees647@hotmail.com; madrees@gcuf.edu.pk
Abstract
Climate change is a global concern of the day. Our Earth witnessed an increase of 0.60ºC in
global temperature during the century. Currently, our atmosphere is saturated with higher
concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and tropospheric ozone (O3), which
accelerate the global temperature rise. Wheat is a major staple food crop with a two-thirds
population directly dependent upon for their dietary needs. Wheat yield should increase at a
rate of 2% annually to meet the consumptive need of a rapidly growing population till 2020.
Salinity emerged as one of the severe abiotic stresses negatively swaying crop productivity
directly or indirectly. Natural and anthropogenic factors incremented soil salinization problems
at a rapid pace by swapping 2 million hectares of global cultivable land per year. It reduces the
yield by perturbing the biochemical and physiological attributes of crops. The application of
silicon nanoparticles developed resistance in plants against the hostile impacts of ozone and
salinity stress. A pot experiment was conducted in the research area of GC University
Faisalabad to investigate the effect of elevated ozone concentration and salinity on wheat crops
and the role of foliar application of Si2O nanoparticles in alleviating these stresses. Wheat crop
grown under saline conditions is exposed to two levels of ozone (filter air & 100 ppb) &
supplemented with two levels of Si2O nanoparticles (0 & 100mg/L) foliar application at various
stages of crop growth. Results revealed that elevated ozone and salinity stress decreased the
overall growth and yield performance of plants. However, these detrimental impacts were
ameliorated by exogenous supplementation of silicon nanoparticles at the rate of 100 mg/L.

Keywords: ozone; wheat; salinity; silicon; nanoparticles

Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Vehari Campus

146