TL;DR
F foliar application of exogenously used vanillic acid resulted in significant improvements in plant morphology and in physiological and biochemical traits, thereby improving stress tolerance, maintaining cellular functions, and enhancing growth and development in cabbage plants.
Drought stress in agricultural land disrupts the physiological processes, growth, and yield of kale (Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala). This study evaluated the physiological responses, growth, and yield of kale treated with salicylic acid, a potential strategy to enhance plant tolerance to drought stress, in a greenhouse at the Department of Agriculture, Universitas Diponegoro, Semarang. A 4 × 4 factorial experiment was arranged in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with three replications. The first factor was drought level (100%, 80%, 60%, and 40% field capacity). The second factor was salicylic acid (SA) concentration 0, 0.75, 1.5, and 2.25 mM). The results indicated that physiological responses (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, relative water content, and electrolyte leakage) remained largely stable under moderate drought stress (60% FC), whereas plant growth parameters (plant height, leaf number, and leaf area) were reduced by 14.5–20.7% compared with the control (100% FC). At 40% FC, both physiological and growth responses were more severely affected; electrolyte leakage increased markedly, and plant height, leaf area, and dry biomass weight decreased by 24.4%, 47.2%, and 60.5%, respectively, compared with the control (P < 0.05). The best treatment was the application of 1.5 mM salicylic acid, which increased the relative water content by 4.13% and decreased the electrolyte leakage by 34.70% compared to untreated plants (P < 0.05). This concentration was likely more effective due to optimal stomatal regulation, increased antioxidant enzyme activity, and maintained membrane integrity, indicating that 1.5 mM SA has potential as a biostimulant to improve kale water status and membrane stability. However, field validation across locations and seasons is needed before recommending it for dryland farming.
Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.), the world’s fifth most important vegetable crop, is highly sensitive to waterlogging (WL), which limits its productivity under climate-driven flooding events. This study evaluated whether humic acid (HA) and fulvic acid (FA) alleviate WL-induced stress by improving nutrient acquisition and antioxidant defense. Eggplant seedlings were subjected to WL stress for 10 days with and without bio-stimulant treatments, under controlled conditions using a simple, completely randomized design. Waterlogging deteriorated soil properties, reducing pH from 7.7 to 5.4, organic matter by ~75%, soil nutrients 73%, resulting in a decline in plant growth (61%), nutrients (23–74%), chlorophyll concentrations (25–45%), and increased oxidative stress indicators (33–314%). Both HA and FA significantly mitigated these stress effects, restoring plant growth by 11–43%, increasing chlorophyll by ~42%, and enhancing nutrients by 10–17-fold. However, HA and FA differentially modulated stress responses. HA reduced H2O2 and MDA by 40–75% and normalized antioxidant enzyme activities, indicating redox homeostasis, while FA maintained relatively higher H2O2 levels (133.7 mmol kg−1) while improving growth and chlorophyll (~32–67%), suggesting a stress priming rather than stress suppression mechanism. Overall, HA conferred WL tolerance by limiting oxidative damage, whereas FA promoted growth through reactive oxygen species signaling, supporting the potential of humic substances as sustainable bio-stimulants for climate-resilient crop production.
In the face of climate change, drought stress represents a critical challenge to the sustainability of maize (Zea mays L.) cultivation. This study explored the potential of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) to enhance maize tolerance to drought. The experiment was conducted in a glass greenhouse of the Soil Fertilizer and Water Resources Central Research Institute, Ankara, employing a factorial design with five AMF treatments under three water stress levels (70%, 50%, and 30% of field capacity). Maize plants inoculated with AMF demonstrated notable improvements in growth parameters under drought conditions. At 70% field capacity, the AMF treatment with Rhizophagus intraradices (M3) significantly increased plant height (PH) by up to 104.2 cm and fresh weight (FW) by 35.7 g, compared to control values of 95.7 cm and 27.5 g, respectively. Similarly, at 50% field capacity, AMF treatments sustained higher stem diameter (SD) measurements, with a notable instance being Rhizophagus irregularis (M2) at 5.44 cm, against a control value of 4.74 cm. The resilience of AMF-treated plants was further underlined by the improved root dry weight (RDW) in the face of severe drought stress (30% field capacity), where Glomus iranicum (M5) treatments resulted in RDW of 1.20 g compared to 0.73 g in non-AMF-treated plants. These findings substantiate the hypothesis that mycorrhizal symbiosis can significantly mitigate the effects of drought stress on maize, suggesting a viable strategy to enhance crop resilience and productivity in water-limited environments.
Pre-sprouted sugarcane seedlings are increasingly used to ensure uniform crop establishment; however, their performance is highly constrained by water deficit under climate change scenarios. This research evaluated whether a consortium of Bacillus licheniformis (FMCH001) and Bacillus subtilis (FMCH002) could mitigate drought stress by improving root development, soil microbial activity, and plant nutritional and physiological responses under different water regimes. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design using a 4 × 2 factorial scheme, with four water regimes (20, 40, 60, and 80% of field capacity) and two inoculation treatments (with and without bacteria), with four replicates. Bacillus inoculation alleviated the adverse effects of water deficit, particularly under severe water restriction (20, 40, and 60% of field capacity), by increasing root length, surface area, volume, and diameter. Inoculated treatments showed higher arylsulfatase, β-glucosidase, acid phosphatase, and urease activities, indicating enhanced soil microbial functioning. These responses were associated with increased leaf concentrations of N, P, K, Ca, Fe, and Zn. Furthermore, inoculated plants exhibited improved photosynthetic performance, including higher PSII efficiency, electron transport rate, net CO 2 assimilation, water use efficiency, and carboxylation efficiency, contributing to better establishment and development throughout the sugarcane growth cycle. Inoculation with Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis mitigated the effects of water deficit in pre-sprouted sugarcane seedlings by promoting root development, enhancing soil microbial activity, and increasing nutrient acquisition, thereby improving plant mineral nutrition and photosynthetic performance.
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