| Autor: |
Al-Mokadem AZ; Botany Department, Women's College, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11566, Egypt.; Chemistry Department, College of Science and Arts, Jouf University, Al-Gurayyat 77447, Saudi Arabia., Sheta MH; Soils and Water Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt., Mancy AG; Soils and Water Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt., Hussein HA; Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science (Girls Branch), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11754, Egypt.; Biology Department, University College of Nairiyah, University of Hafr Al-Batin, Nairiyah 31991, Saudi Arabia., Kenawy SKM; Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science (Girls Branch), Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11754, Egypt., Sofy AR; Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt., Abu-Shahba MS; Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt., Mahdy HM; Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt., Sofy MR; Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt.; Al-Azhar Center for Fermentation Biotechnology and Applied Microbiology, Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt., Al Bakry AF; Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition Department, Soil Water and Environment Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center, Giza 12619, Egypt., Agha MS; Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Mansoura University, Mansoura 35516, Egypt. |
| Abstrakt: |
Water deficit is a significant environmental stress that has a negative impact on plant growth and yield. In this research, the positive significance of kaolin and SiO 2 nanoparticles in moderating the detrimental effects of water deficit on maize plant growth and yield is investigated. The foliar application of kaolin (3 and 6%) and SiO 2 NPs (1.5 and 3 mM) solutions increased the growth and yield variables of maize plants grown under normal conditions (100% available water) and drought stress conditions (80 and 60% available water (AW)). In addition, plants treated with SiO 2 NPs (3 mM) demonstrated increased levels of important osmolytes, such as proline and phenol, and maintained more of their photosynthetic pigments (net photosynthetic rate (PN), stomatal conductance (gs), intercellular CO 2 concentration (Ci), and transpiration rate (E)) than with other applied treatments under either stress or non-stress conditions. Furthermore, the exogenous foliar application of kaolin and SiO 2 NPs also reduced the amounts of hydroxyl radicals (OH), superoxide anions (O 2 ), hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), and lipid peroxidation in maize plants experiencing a water deficit. In contrast, the treatments led to an increase in the activity of antioxidant enzymes such as peroxidase (POX), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), glutathione peroxidase (GR), catalase (CAT), and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Overall, our findings indicate the beneficial impact of the application of kaolin and silicon NPs, particularly the impact of SiO 2 NPs (3 mM) on managing the negative, harmful impacts of soil water deficit stress in maize plants. |
