article · Polish Journal of Environmental Studies
Two field trials evaluated the protective effects of carboxymethyl chitosan on sugar beet subjected to different irrigation levels. Plants were treated with either tap water or 200 mg per litre of carboxymethyl chitosan under 60 percent, 80 percent, and 100 percent of required crop water. Chitosan application enhanced the activity of catalase and glutathione peroxidase enzymes, as well as concentrations of flavonoids and carotenoids under water deficit. It also increased stomatal opening and pore area across drought conditions. Consequently, root yield rose by over 4 percent in both well-watered and water-stressed settings. Chitosan treatment enhanced extracted sugar by up to 7.4 percent and overall sugar yield by up to 12.1 percent, alongside reductions in root potassium and sodium levels. Overall, the treatment improved water use efficiency by 9.6 percent.
Water scarcity threatens agricultural productivity, particularly for water-intensive cash crops like sugar beet. Demonstrating that a chitosan-based spray can sustain sugar yield, protect plant physiology, and raise water use efficiency under irrigation deficits offers a practical method to safeguard crop harvests and conserve water resources in arid or water-limited agricultural regions.
This research represents applied and tested field research of interest to agricultural input manufacturers, biostimulant producers, and sugar beet growers. It suggests a potential commercial foliar spray or irrigation additive using carboxymethyl chitosan at 200 mg per litre to enhance drought tolerance and refine juice quality in commercial farming. However, the abstract does not detail formulation shelf-life, production scaling, or direct economic costs.
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Two field experiments were implemented to assess the possible protective role of chitosan against drought in sugar beet plants.Two carboxymethyl chitosan rates (0, tap water, and 200 mg L -1 ) were applied under three trickle irrigation levels of 60%, 80%, and 100% of the actual required water for the crop (W60, W80, and W100, respectively).Findings clarified that the maximum increase in catalase enzyme activity, flavonoids, and carotenoids was recorded under severe drought (W60) or moderate drought (W80) with chitosan supply.The chitosan-induced increase in the activity of glutathione peroxidase was more pronounced at the 60% level of watering.Chitosan increased the stomatal opening and pore area under different drought degrees.Owing to chitosan application, the increases in root yield reached 4.6 and 4.7% under well-watered (W100) and water deficit (W60), respectively.Chitosan application resulted in 4.9 and 9.2% increases in extracted sugar and sugar yield, respectively, under sufficient watering.Chitosan achieved substantial reductions in potassium and sodium under W60, which amounted to 2.6 and 8.0%, respectively.The increases in extracted sugar and sugar yield due to chitosan spraying were 5.3 and 10.7% with W60, as well as 7.4 and 12.1% with W100, respectively.Furthermore, chitosan improved water use efficiency by 9.6% compared to the control (plants untreated with chitosan).In conclusion, under normal or deficit water irrigation conditions, treating the sugar beet crop with 200 mg L -1 of carboxymethyl chitosan is recommended to ensure better sugar yield and sugary juice quality while improving water use efficiency.
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DOI: 10.15244/pjoes/186651
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