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International Conference on

Recent Trends in Environmental Sustainability

ESCON22/ETERM/08
Synergistic practicing of silicon and biochar improve salt tolerance of maize irrigated
with saline water

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Sajid Mahmood* , Rehmat Ali
1,2 Soil and Environmental Sciences Division, Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology
(NIAB), Faisalabad, Pakistan
Correspondence: smwatto@yahoo.com
Abstract

Soil salinity is the most common abiotic stress limiting agricultural productivity worldwide.
Silicon (Si) and biochar amendment could alleviate the negative impacts of salinity stress in
crop plant. However, their combined effects on ion uptake, antioxidant activities, chlorophyll
synthesis, gaseous exchange, and growth of crop plants remain unknown. A pot experiment
was conducted in a wirehouse. Maize seeds were grown in pots filled with sandy clay loam soil
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amended with Si (100 mg kg ) and biochar (1%), and irrigated with saline water of EC 7.73
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dS m along with control of tap water irrigation. Silicon and biochar application countered the
adverse effects of salinity on maize by decreasing the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and
peroxidase (POD) activities in leaves, and increasing the chlorophyll contents and stomatal
conductance in comparison to control. Si and biochar also reduced the sodium (Na) uptake and
increased the potassium (K), phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) uptake in shoots compared to
the control under salinity stress. Furthermore, the significant interaction between Si and biochar
increased the leaf area, shoot dry biomass and root dry biomass. Among the treatments,
combined application of Si and biochar remained the most prominent for the studied traits
under salinity stress. Thus, the current study suggests that application of Si along with biochar
mitigates the effects of salinity on maize by regulating antioxidants and gaseous exchange,
improving chlorophyll content and mineral uptake, and decreasing tissue Na content.

Keywords: Biochar; Saline water; Antioxidants; Gaseous exchange.

Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Vehari Campus

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