Abstract
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Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is an important cereal crop worldwide and drought has become a limiting factor for its growth as well as yield. A field experiment was conducted during Rabi season of 2020-21 using randomized block design at Pantnagar Centre for Plant Genetic Resources, G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand to study if there is any effect of zinc-chitosan-salicylic acid (ZCS) nanoparticles for providing drought tolerance in wheat without compromising the yield. The morpho-physiological and biochemical responses of wheat plants to different concentrations of ZCS nanoparticles (100, 200 and 400 ppm) under water stress condition were studied. The plants treated with 100 ppm ZCS nanoparticles showed significant increase in plant height, root length, number of leaves, chlorophyll and carotenoid content, free proline and ascorbate content under water stress condition. There was a decrease in the malondialdehyde content with the application of ZCS nanoparticles at 100 ppm concentration. Specific activity of antioxidant enzymes like ascorbate peroxidase, guaiacol peroxidase, glutathione reductase and superoxide dismutase was found to increase gradually with the increase in ZCS nanoparticles concentrations. Grain yield/ plant significantly increased (≈ 50%) with foliar application of ZCS nanoparticles at 100 ppm concentration under water stress condition. Application of nanoparticles at 200 and 400 ppm concentrations did not show any promising result possibly be due to toxicity effect. From this study, it was concluded that zinc-chitosan-salicylic acid nanoparticles played an important role in mitigating drought stress of wheat and it also boosted grain yield of wheat under water stress condition by altering metabolism and activating ROS scavenging pathway.
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