Aigerim BAKİROVA, Mehmet Sait KİREMİT, Hakan ARSLAN

Early seedling features and mineral content of maize seeds grown under salinity stress

High seedling performance is crucial for the growth and development of plants, as it directly affects the potential for crop yield. Therefore, robust early seedling characteristics can lead to higher yields and better crop productivity. This work evaluated the early seedling characteristics of maize seeds grown under four irrigation water salinities (0.30, 1.5, 3.5, and 7 dS m-1). For this purpose, maize plants were grown to maturity in pots under rain shelter conditions, and then maize seeds were harvested. Subsequently, the maize seeds germinated to determine the early seedling characteristics, the leaf's Na+, Ca+2, K+ content, and the K+/ Na+, Ca+2/ Na+. The results showed that irrigation of maize crops at 7.0 dS m-1 reduced seedling fresh weight, root fresh weight, and SPAD parameters by 46.9%, 78.1%, and 38.7%, respectively, compared to 0.30 dS m-1. Irrigation of maize plants with 8.0 dS m-1 significantly hampered the reusability of maize seeds and decreased seedling height (7.81 cm), root dry weight (0.13 g), and root length (5.5 cm). Moreover, the highest ratios of K+/Na+ (12.58) and Ca+2/Na+ (3.46) ratios and the lowest leaf Na+ content (0.24%) of maize seedlings were found in 0.30 dS m-1 treatment. Based on the results, it could be suggested that the reusability of maize seeds, which irrigation maize crops with ≥ 3.5 dS m-1 saline water, is not recommended for sustainable maize production due to low seedling growth performance. Finally, the current study has the potential to provide important insights into identifying robust and healthy maize seeds grown in high-salinity environments.

Keywords:

Salinity stress maize germination, seed quality, seedling growth,

PDF

___

Ahmad, I., Ahmad, B., Boote, K., Hoogenboom, G., 2020. Adaptation strategies for maize production under climate change for semi-arid environments. European Journal of Agronomy 115: 126040.
Alkharabsheh, H.M., Seleiman, M.F., Hewedy, O.A., Battaglia, M.L., Jalal, R.S., Alhammad, B.A., Schillaci, C., Ali, N., Al-Doss, A., 2021. Field crop responses and management strategies to mitigate soil salinity in modern agriculture. Agronomy 11(11): 2299.
Arif, Y., Singh, P., Siddiqui, H., Bajguz, A., Hayat, S., 2020. Salinity induced physiological and biochemical changes in plants: An omic approach towards salt stress tolerance. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 156: 64-77.
Bewley, J.D., Bradford, K.J., Hilhorst, H.W.M., Nonogaki, H., 2013. Seeds: Physiology of development, germination and dormancy. Third edition. Springer, 392p.
Bistgani, Z.E., Hashemi, M., DaCosta, M., Craker, L., Maggi, F., Morshedloo, M.R., 2019. Effect of salinity stress on the physiological characteristics, phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity of Thymus vulgaris L. and Thymus daenensis Celak. Industrial Crops and Products 135: 311-320.
Chaudhary, D.P., Kumar, S., Langyan, S., 2013. Maize: Nutrition Dynamics and Novel. Springer, 161p.
Erenstein, O., Jaleta, M., Sonder, K., Mottaleb, K., Prasanna, B.M., 2022. Global maize production, consumption and trade: trends and R&D implications. Food Security 14: 1295-1319.
FAO, 2021. Statistical yearbook 2021. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 2021.
Farooq, M., Hussain, M., Wakeel, A., Siddique, K.H.M., 2015. Salt stress in maize: effects, resistance mechanisms, and management. A review. Agronomy for Sustainable Development 35: 461-481.
Hopmans, J.W., Qureshi, A.S., Kisekka, I., Munns, R., Grattan, S.R., Rengasamy, P., Ben-Gal, A., Assouline, S., Javaux, M., Minhas, P.S., Raats, P.A.C., Skaggs, T.H., Wang, G., De Jong van Lier, Q., Jiao, H., Lavado, R.S., Lazarovitch, N., Li, B., Taleisnik, E., 2021. Critical knowledge gaps and research priorities in global soil salinity, Advances in Agronomy 169: 1-191.
Hu, Y., Schmidhalter, U., 2005. Drought and salinity: A comparison of their effects on mineral nutrition of plants. Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science 168: 541-549.
Khodarahmpour, Z., Ifar, M., Motamedi, M., 2014. Effects of NaCl salinity on maize (Zea mays L.) at germination and early seedling stage. Journal of Agriculture and Food Sciences 11: 298-304.
Kiremit, M.S., Arslan, H., 2016. Effects of irrigation water salinity on drainage water salinity, evapotranspiration and other leek (Allium porrum L.) plant parameters. Scientia Horticulturae 201: 211-217.
Koyro, H.W., Eisa, S.S., 2008. Effect of salinity on composition, viability and germination of seeds of Chenopodium quinoa. Plant and Soil 302: 79-90.
Läuchli, A., Grattan, S.R., 2007. Plant growth and development under salinity stress, In: Advances in Molecular Breeding Toward Drought and Salt Tolerant Crops. Jenks, M.A., Hasegawa, P.M., Jain, S.M. (Eds.). Springer, pp. 1-32.
Li, J., Chen, J., Jin, J., Wang, S., Du, B., 2019. Effects of ırrigation water salinity on maize (zea may l.) emergence, growth, yield, quality, and soil salt. Water 11(10): 2095.
Lu, S., Bai, X., Li, W., Wang, N., 2019. Impacts of climate change on water resources and grain production. Technological Forecasting and Social Change 143: 76-84.
Meena, H.N., Yadav, R.S., 2018. Effects of reusing peanut seeds grown in saline ırrigation water on yield attributes and quality traits. Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering 144: 04018002.
Mukhopadhyay, R., Sarkar, B., Jat, H.S., Sharma, P.C., Bolan, N.S., 2021. Soil salinity under climate change: Challenges for sustainable agriculture and food security. Journal of Environmental Management 280: 111736.
Öztürk, E., Akay, H., Sezer, İ., 2021. Şeker mısırda çimlenme ve erken fide gelişimi döneminde tuz stresine karşı salisilik asit ön uygulamasının etkisi. Journal of the Institute of Science and Technology 11: 3213-3221. in Turkish.
Rouf Shah, T., Prasad, K., Kumar, P., 2016. Maize-A potential source of human nutrition and health: A review. Cogent Food & Agriculture 2: 1166995.
Salika, R., Riffat, J., 2021. Abiotic stress responses in maize: a review. Acta Physiologiae Plantarum 43: 130.
Sehgal, A., Sita, K., Siddique, K.H.M., Kumar, R., Bhogireddy, S., Varshney, R.K., HanumanthaRao, B., Nair, R.M., Prasad, P.V.V., Nayyar, H., 2018. Drought or/and heat-stress effects on seed filling in food crops: Impacts on functional biochemistry, seed yields, and nutritional quality. Frontiers in Plant Science 871: 1705.
Singh, A., 2022. Soil salinity: A global threat to sustainable development. Soil Use and Management 38(1): 39-67.
Soriano, D., Huante, P., Gamboa-deBuen, A., Orozco-Segovia, A., 2014. Effects of burial and storage on germination and seed reserves of 18 tree species in a tropical deciduous forest in Mexico. Oecologia 174: 33-44.
Vaughan, M.M., Block, A., Christensen, S.A., Allen, L.H., Schmelz, E.A., 2018. The effects of climate change associated abiotic stresses on maize phytochemical defenses. Phytochemistry Reviews 17: 37-49.