Zinc and nitrogen mediate the regulation of growth, leading to the upregulation of antioxidant aptitude, physio-biochemical traits, and yield in wheat plants.

An ample amount of water and soil nutrients is required for economic wheat production to meet the current food demands. Nitrogen (N) and zinc (Zn) fertigation in soils can produce a substantial wheat yield for a rapidly increasing population and bring a limelight to researchers. The present study was designed to ascertain N and Zn's synergistic role in wheat growth, yield, and physio-biochemical traits. A pot experiment was laid out under a complete randomized design with four N levels (N1-0, N2-60, N3- 120, and N4-180 kg ha-1), Zn (T1-0, T2-5, T3-10, and T4-15 kg ha-1) with four replications. After the emergence of the plants, N and Zn fertigation was applied in the soil. The growth traits were considerably increased by combined applications as compared to the sole applications of the N and Zn. The photosynthetic pigments were found maximum due to combined applications of N and Zn, which were positively associated with biomass, growth, yield, and wheat grain quality. The combined application also substantially enhances the antioxidant enzyme activities to scavenge the ROS as H2O2 and reduce lipid peroxidation to protect the permeability of the biologic membranes. The combined higher applications of N and Zn were more responsive to ionic balance in a shoot by maintaining the Na+ for osmotic adjustments, accumulating more Ca2+ for cellular signaling; but, combined applications resulted in K+ reduction. Our present results suggest that appropriate sole or combined applications of N and Zn improve wheat's growth, yield, and antioxidant mechanisms. Previous studies lack sufficient information on N and Zn combined fertigation. We intend to investigate both the sole and combined roles of N and Zn to exploit their potential synergistic effects on wheat.

Exploring the Impact of Salicylic Acid and Farmyard Manure on Soil Rhizospheric Properties and Cadmium Stress Alleviation in Maize (Zea mays L.).

Cadmium (Cd) pollution is a growing environmental problem that negatively impacts plant growth and development, particularly in maize. In this research, the impact of farmyard manure (FYM) and salicylic acid (SA) on rhizospheric characteristics and the reduction of Cd stress in maize was examined at Government College (GC) University, Lahore, in 2022. The experiment was arranged with a randomized design, including three replications of 12 treatments (T1 = Control; T2 = Farmyard manure; T3 = Salicylic Acid; T4 = 100 mg/kg of soil Cd; T5 = 200 mg/kg of soil Cd; T6 = Farmyard manure + Salicylic acid; T7 = FYM + 100 mg/kg soil Cd; T8 = FYM + 200 mg/kg soil Cd; T9 = SA + 100 mg/kg soil Cd; T10 = SA + 200 mg/kg soil Cd; T11 = FYM + SA + 100 mg/kg soil Cd; T12 = FYM + SA + 200 mg/kg soil Cd). Results demonstrated that Cd stress negatively affected the maize plant and soil properties, but the application of SA and FYM was effective to mitigate the Cd stress up to a certain level. A reduction of 41.52%, 39.14%, and 39.94% in root length, length of the leaf, and crop growth rate was noticed, due to the Cd stress at 200 mg/kg soil, but this reduction was reduced to 18.83%, 10.35%, and 12.26%, respectively, when FYM and salicylic acid were applied as a combined application under the same stress level of Cd. The root biomass, leaf surface area, and length were all improved by SA and FYM, which enhanced the plant's capacity to absorb nutrients and improve growth under Cd stress. In conclusion, the use of salicylic acid together with farm manure can be an effective approach to mitigate Cd stress in maize crops.