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Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Abstract

Chromium (Cr+6)  toxicity is a significant environmental stress factor that severely hampers plant growth and productivity. This study aimed to evaluate whether the combined application of phosphorus fertilizer and melatonin could alleviate chromium induced stress in maize  (Zea mays L.).  A foliar spray of melatonin (50 µM) was applied alongside two phosphorus sources—phosphoric acid (PA) and diammonium phosphate (DAP), each at 60% of the recommended rate. Two maize cultivars (FH-1046 and YH-1898) were grown under chromium stress (0, 15, and 30 mg kg–1) to assess treatment effects. The results demonstrated that FH-1046 plants treated with PA + melatonin under noncontaminated conditions showed a significantly higher transpiration rate (44%) compared to YH-1898 under chromium stress. Additionally, the combination of DAP + melatonin under 30 mg kg–1 Cr significantly improved fresh and dry biomass by 20% and 30%, respectively. These findings suggest that foliar-applied melatonin in combination with phosphorus fertilization can enhance physiological performance and biomass accumulation, offering a potential strategy to improve maize resilience and yield under chromium-contaminated soils.

Author ORCID Identifier

ZUNAIRA ZAFAR: 0009-0005-7691-7880

SHOAIB AHMAD: 0000-0002-5351-9100

MUHAMMAD AKHTAR: 0000-0003-1628-8910

SHAFAQAT ALI: 0000-0002-3773-5196

SARAH ALOMRANI: 0009-0003-9163-2416

MUHAMMAD ALSHEHRI: 0000-0002-0188-1634

DOI

10.55730/1300-011X.3350

Keywords

Melatonin, maize, chromium, gas exchange parameters, growth parameters

First Page

262

Last Page

275

Publisher

The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK)

Creative Commons License

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

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