Silicon-mediated enhancement of wheat tolerance to drought stress: a comparative study of antioxidant activity, photosynthesis, secondary metabolites, and yield

Authors

• ABIDA KAUSARFollow
• RIDA YASMEENFollow
• SHAHID IQBALFollow
• MUHAMMAD BILAL HAFEEZFollow
• ASIF MUKHTIARFollow
• SADIA AZEEMFollow
• ALI RAZAFollow
• SAMREEN NAZEERFollow
• MUHAMMAD ZUBAIR AKRAMFollow
• MUHAMMAD KAMRANFollow
• FAHD RASULFollow
• NOREEN ZAHRAFollow

Abstract

Drought stress (DS) is a major constraint on optimal plant growth and yield. Agricultural researchers have been actively exploring fertilizers that can enhance crop production under DS conditions. Silicon (Si) application has emerged as a promising strategy for managing DS in various crops. This study investigated the potential of Si soil drenching to mitigate the adverse effects of varying levels of DS (at 100%, 70%, and 40% field capacity) in wheat. Two varieties (Ujala-2016 and FSD-2008) were used to evaluate the influence of Si (2.5 mM) on antioxidant activity, oxidative burst, secondary metabolites, growth, and yield. The results indicated that Si drenching positively affected all growth parameters, yield attributes, antioxidant enzymes, and secondary metabolite production. However, malondialdehyde (MDA) production increased significantly under DS, with the severity of DS and varietal differences influencing its accumulation. The Ujala-2016 variety had superior growth, biological yield, 1000-grain weight, spike length, number of tillers, photosynthetic efficiency, antioxidant levels, osmotic adjustment, and secondary metabolite production when treated with Si. These findings suggest that Ujala-2016 is a more drought-tolerant variety. While increasing DS severity negatively impacted yield, Si treatment can be considered a valuable soil amendment for mitigating the effects of drought and ensuring food security in arid and semiarid regions.

Author ORCID Identifier

ABIDA KAUSAR: 0000-0003-1283-2587

RIDA YASMEEN: 0009-0009-3774-7398

SHAHID IQBAL: 0000-0002-8797-9180

MUHAMMAD BILAL HAFEEZ: 0000-0001-6719-6667

ASIF MUKHTIAR: 0009-0009-3016-0260

SADIA AZEEM: 0009-0009-9679-4469

ALI RAZA: 0000-0002-5120-2791

SAMREEN NAZEER: 0000-0001-7767-0860

MUHAMMAD ZUBAIR AKRAM: 0000-0001-6797-6444

MUHAMMAD KAMRAN: 0000-0002-6532-4351

FAHD RASUL: 0000-0002-7813-2981

NOREEN ZAHRA: 0000-0003-4599-0901

DOI

10.55730/1300-011X.3345

Keywords

Silicon, drought stress, antioxidants, wheat, yield, secondary metabolites

First Page

204

Last Page

215

Publisher

The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

KAUSAR, A, YASMEEN, R, IQBAL, S, HAFEEZ, M, MUKHTIAR, A, AZEEM, S, RAZA, A, NAZEER, S, AKRAM, M, KAMRAN, M, RASUL, F, & ZAHRA, N (2026). Silicon-mediated enhancement of wheat tolerance to drought stress: a comparative study of antioxidant activity, photosynthesis, secondary metabolites, and yield. Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry 50 (2): 204-215. https://doi.org/10.55730/1300-011X.3345