Improving the Productivity of Bread Wheat by Good Management Practices under Terminal Drought

Drought‐induced damages in crop plants are ranked at top amid all losses instigated by diverse abiotic stresses. Terminal drought (drought at reproductive phase) has emerged as a severe threat to the productivity of wheat crop. Different seed enhancement techniques, genotypes and distribution of crop plants in different spacings have been explored individually to mitigate these losses; however, their interaction has rarely been tested in improving drought resistance in wheat. This study was conducted to evaluate the potential role of different seed enhancement techniques and row spacings in mitigating the adversities of terminal drought in two wheat cultivars during two consecutive growing seasons of 2010–2011 and 2011–2012. Seeds of wheat cultivars Lasani‐2008 (medium statured) and Triple Dwarf‐1 (dwarf height) soaked in water (hydropriming) or CaCl₂ (osmopriming) were sown in 20‐, 25‐ and 30‐cm spaced rows; just before heading, the soil moisture was maintained at 100 % field capacity (well watered) or 50 % field capacity (terminal drought) till maturity. Terminal drought significantly reduced the yield and related traits compared with well‐watered crop; however, osmopriming improved the crop performance under terminal drought. Among different row spacings, wheat sown in 20‐cm spaced rows performed better during both years of study. Wheat cultivar Lasani‐2008 performed better than cultivar Triple Dwarf‐1 under both well‐watered and stress conditions. Maximum net returns and benefit–cost ratio were recorded from osmoprimed seeds of cultivar Lasani‐2008 sown in 20‐cm spaced rows under well‐watered condition. Nonetheless, osmoprimed seeds of cultivar Lasani‐2008 sown in 20‐cm spaced rows were better able to produce good yield under terminal drought.     

Advances in physiological mechanisms of spikelet fertility in rice at flowering stage under high temperature stress

全球气候变暖产生的局部短期极端高温,会对水稻形成高温胁迫,影响水稻的各种生理代谢过程,其出现频率有增加趋势.高温胁迫对水稻的影响主要是在开花期,极易导致严重的颖花不育.水稻耐高温胁迫能力存在基因型间的差异.在当天温度较低的时段开花,花粉活性高,花药长,花药基部开裂长度较长、开裂孔较大,是水稻耐高温胁迫的重要表型指标.热激蛋白的表达,提高花药的抗氧化能力,以及维持结构蛋白、酶和细胞膜的稳定性是增强柱头及柱头上花粉粒耐高温胁迫的重要生理机制.目前,国内外学者对高温胁迫影响水稻颖花受精结实的特征、水稻耐高温胁迫的形态与生理机理方面进行了大量研究,但未深入研究缓解水稻高温胁迫伤害的方法与策略,今后应结合水稻耐高温胁迫的形态与生理机理,加强有效缓解高温胁迫方法的探索与研究.     

Improving Water Relations and Gas Exchange with Brassinosteroids in Rice under Drought Stress

Drought stress is the most pervasive threat to sustainable rice production and mainly disrupts membrane structure and cell-water relations. Exogenously applied brassinosteroids (BRs) may produce profound changes that may improve drought tolerance in rice. In this study, we monitored some physiological basis of the exogenously applied BRs in improving drought tolerance in fine grain aromatic rice ( Oryza sativa L.). Two BRs i.e. 28-homobrassinolide (HBL) and 24-epibrassinolide (EBL) were used both as seed priming and foliar spray. To prime, the seeds were soaked in 0.01 μ m aerated solution each of HBL and EBL for 48 h and dried back to original weight. Treated and untreated seeds were sown in plastic pots with normal irrigation in a phytotron. At four-leaf stage (3 weeks after sowing), plants were subjected to drought stress at 50 % field capacity by cutting down the water supply. For foliar spray, 0.01 μ m of HBL and EBL solutions were sprayed at five-leaf stage. Drought stress severely reduced fresh and dry weights, whilst exogenously applied BRs improved net CO₂ assimilation, water use efficiency, leaf water status, membrane properties, production of free proline, anthocyanins, soluble phenolics, but declined the malondialdehyde and H₂O₂ production. In conclusion, BRs application improved the leaf water economy and CO₂ assimilation, and enabled rice to withstand drought. Moreover, foliar spray had better effect under drought than seed treatments and of the two BRs, EBL proved more effective.     

Exogenously Applied Nitric Oxide Enhances the Drought Tolerance in Fine Grain Aromatic Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Drought stress is a severe threat to the sustainable rice production, which causes oxidative damage and disturbs plant water relations, while exogenously applied nitric oxide (NO) may have the potential to alleviate these effects in rice plants. In this study, the role of NO to improve drought tolerance in fine grain aromatic rice ( Oryza sativa L. cv. Basmati 2000) was evaluated. Sodium nitroprusside, a NO donor, was used at 50, 100 and 150  μ mol l⁻¹ both as seed priming and foliar spray. To prime, the seeds were soaked in aerated NO solution of respective solution for 48 h and dried back to original weight. Primed and non-primed seeds were sown in plastic pots with normal irrigation in a greenhouse. At four leaf stage, plants were subjected to drought stress except the controls, which were kept at full field capacity. Drought was maintained at 50 % of field capacity by watering when needed. Two controls were maintained; both receiving no NO treatments as foliar application or seed treatment, one under drought conditions and the other under well-watered conditions. Drought stress seriously reduced the rice growth, but both methods of NO application alleviated the stress effects. Drought tolerance in rice was strongly related to the maintenance of tissue water potential and enhanced capacity of antioxidants, improved stability of cellular membranes and enhanced photosynthetic capacity, plausibly by signalling action of NO. Foliar treatments proved more effective than the seed treatments. Among NO treatment, 100  μ mol l⁻¹ foliar spray was more effective.     

Physiological and Yield Responses of Faba bean (Vicia faba L.) to Drought Stress in Managed and Open Field Environments

Water scarcity is threatening the sustainability of global food grain production systems. Devising management strategies and identification of crop species and genotypes are direly required to meet the global food demands with limited supply. This study, consisted of two independent experiments, was conducted to compare faba bean (Vicia faba L.) genotypes Giza Blanka, Goff‐1, Hassawi‐1, Hassawi‐2 and Gazira‐2 in terms of physiological attributes and yield under water‐limited environments. In first experiment, conducted in a growth chamber, osmotic stress of ?0.78, ?0.96, ?1.19 and ?1.65 MPa was induced using polyethylene glycol for 4 weeks. In second experiment, conducted in open field for two consecutive growing seasons, water deficit treatments were applied 3 weeks after sowing. In this experiment, irrigation was applied when an amount of evaporated water from the ‘class A pan’ evaporation reached 50 mm (well watered), 100 mm (moderate drought) and 150 mm (severe drought). Water deficit, applied in terms of osmotic stress or drought, reduced the root and shoot length, related leaf water contents, total chlorophyll contents and efficiency of photosystem‐II, plant height, grain yield and related attributes in faba bean; increased the leaf free proline, leaf soluble proteins and malondialdehyde contents, and triggered the maturity in tested faba bean genotypes. However, substantial genetic variation was observed in the tested genotypes in this regard. For instance, root length of genotypes Giza Blanka and Hassawi‐2 decreased gradually, whereas it was increased in genotypes Goff‐1, Hassawi‐1 and Gazira‐2 with increase in the level of osmotic stress. Genotypes Gazira‐2 and Hassawi‐2 had better relative leaf water contents, leaf free proline and soluble proteins under water deficit conditions; however, these were minimum in genotype Giza Blanka. Better accumulation of leaf free proline, soluble proteins, and maintenance of chlorophyll contents, tissue water, efficiency of photosystem‐II and grain weight in water‐limited conditions helped some genotypes like Hassawi‐2 to yield better. Future breeding programs for developing new faba bean genotypes for water‐limited environments may consider these traits.     

Application of natural plant extracts improves the tolerance against combined terminal heat and drought stresses in bread wheat

Drought and heat are among the main abiotic stresses causing severe damage to the cereal productivity when occur at reproductive stages. In this study, ten wheat cultivars were screened for combined heat and drought tolerance imposed at booting, heading, anthesis and post‐anthesis stages, and role of the foliage applied plant extracts was evaluated in improving the performance of differentially responding wheat cultivars under terminal heat and drought stresses. During both years, wheat crop was raised under ambient temperature and 70% water holding capacity (WHC) till leaf boot stage. The plant extracts (3% each) of sorghum, brassica, sunflower and moringa were foliage applied at booting, anthesis and post‐anthesis stage; and after one week of application of these plant extracts, combined heat and drought was imposed at each respective stage. Heat and drought stresses were imposed at each respective stage by placing pots in glass canopies with temperature of 4 ± 2°C above than the ambient temperature in combination with drought stress (35% WHC) until maturity. Combination of drought and heat stresses significantly reduced the performance of tested wheat cultivars; however, stress at the booting and heading stages was more damaging than the anthesis and post‐anthesis stages. Cultivars Mairaj‐2008 and Chakwal‐50 remained green with extended duration for grain filling, resulting in the maintenance of number of grains per spike and 100‐grain weight under stress conditions and thus had better grain yield and water‐use efficiency. However, in cultivars Fsd‐2008, and Shafaq‐2006, the combined imposition of drought and heat accelerated the grain filling rate with decrease in grain filling duration, grain weight and grain yield. Foliar application of all the plant extracts improved the wheat performance under terminal heat and drought stress; however, brassica extract was the most effective. This improvement in grain yield, water‐use efficiency and transpiration efficiency due to foliage applied plant extracts, under terminal heat and drought stress, was owing to better stay‐green character and accumulation of more soluble phenolics, which imparted stress tolerance as indicated by relatively stable grain weight and grain number. In crux, growing of stay‐green wheat cultivars with better grain filling and foliage application of plant extracts may help improving the performance of bread wheat under combined heat and drought stresses.     

Improving resistance against terminal drought in bread wheat by exogenous application of proline and gamma‐aminobutyric acid

Scarcity of water is a severe constraint, which hinders the wheat productivity worldwide. However, foliage application of osmoprotectants may be useful in reducing the drought‐induced yield losses in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). In this study, potential of foliage applied osmoprotectants (proline, gamma‐aminobutyric acid) in improving the performance of bread wheat against terminal drought was evaluated. Both proline and gamma‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) were foliage applied at 50, 100 and 150 mg/L at anthesis stage (BBCH‐identification code‐ 61), in two bread wheat cultivars viz. Mairaj‐2008 and BARS‐2009. After 1 week of foliage application of these osmoprotectants, drought was imposed by maintaining the pots at 35% water holding capacity. Imposition of drought caused significant reduction in the grain yield of both tested bread wheat cultivars; nonetheless, foliage applied osmoprotectants at either concentration improved the chlorophyll contents, accumulation of proline, glycinebetaine and total soluble phenolics and reduced the malondialdehyde contents, which resulted in better stay green, maintenance of grain weight and grain number under drought stress, thus resulting in better grain yield, water‐use efficiency and transpiration efficiency in both wheat cultivars. However, foliage applied proline at 150 mg/L, and GABA at 100 mg/L was most effective than other concentrations of these osmoprotectants. Performance of cultivar Mairaj‐2008 was quite better than cultivar BARS‐2009. In crux, foliar application of proline and GABA at pre‐optimized rate can be opted as a shotgun approach to improve the performance of wheat under terminal drought.     

Secondary Effluent Treatment by Slow Sand Filters: Performance and Risk Analysis

The objective of this study is to examine the reuse of wastewaterfor beneficial purposes. To accomplish this objective, the efficiency of slow sand filters in removing total coliforms (TC) was studied using a probabilistic method. Three pilot scale slowsand filters were constructed at Alkhobar wastewater treatment plant, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. The removal efficiency of filters was estimated under different operating control parameters, which included filtration rate (q), sand bed depth (d) and sand grain size (c). The Type III extreme value distribution best fitted theremoval efficiency data. A multiple linear regression analysis was performed to develop a relationship for mean removal efficiency as a function of control parameters. The predicted mean response and experimental results of previous studies werecompared to validate the empirical regression model. The controlparameters and influent concentrations of total coliform were used in Monte Carlo (MC) simulations for calculating the reliability index (β). The reliability index and corresponding risk were calculated for lognormally distributedsafety margins (SM). An effluent standard of 100 total coliform/100 mL was defined as capacity of the filter to ascertainthe risks of exceedence, which was approximately less than 50 for95% of the time. Pre and/or post disinfection would be necessaryto meet the stipulated effluent standards for unrestricted agriculture use.     

The SAHGA model to calculate the Spatial Ammoniacal Heterogeneity at the soil surface after fertiliser Granule Application

After dissolution of fertiliser granules, a high nitrogen concentration is recovered in the immediate vicinity of granules, which may enhance damaging processes like nitrite accumulation or ammonia volatilisation. Based on the diffusion equations of Cranck, the granule-soil microsite was modelled to obtain the actual fertilised surface plot and the effective rate of N application on this surface. Parameterisation of the diffusion coefficient of solutes consisted of a temperature and soil texture correction. The model was tested against an experimental data set obtained from soil incubations at two soil water contents (21.2% m³ m^–3 and 28.3% m³ m^–3) and two temperatures (4°C and 25°C) by comparing NH₄⁺ recovery at various distances from the granules. The simulated radius of the granule-soil microsite was more affected by the water content than by the temperature. The model is very accurate because 95–100% of total NH₄⁺ applied was recovered in the modelled surface depending on the experimental conditions (temperature and water content). The model was simple enough to be easily integrated into larger models dealing with surface-applied granule fertilisers.     

Sulfur dioxide resistance of Indian trees

Saplings of Tamarindus indica, Mangifera indica, Pithecolobium dulce, Ficus rumphii, Ficus bengalensis, Holoptelea integrifolia, Syzygium cumind, and Psidium guajava were exposed to varying concentrations of SO₂ and chlorophyll, protein, amino acids, starch, total soluble sugars and reducing sugars were determined. In general, it was observed that on exposure to SO₂ in susceptible plants most of the biochemical constituents accumulated in higher amounts while in plants showing visible damage at extremely high exposure concentration a reverse pattern was obtained.