article · Agronomy
Water deficit and soil salinity significantly constrain maize production. Field experiments conducted over two seasons evaluated the effects of combining plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria soil treatments with foliar applications of silica nanoparticles under varying irrigation intervals. Soil application of the rhizobacteria improved soil enzymatic activity and physicochemical characteristics, alleviating the negative impacts of extended irrigation intervals on maize growth and productivity. In parallel, foliar sprays of silica nanoparticles mitigated oxidative stress by enhancing antioxidant enzyme activity and cellular ion balance, leading to improved photosynthetic rates, stomatal conductance, and relative water content alongside reduced sodium accumulation. Combining both treatments produced the greatest improvements in maize yield traits, overall productivity, and nutrient uptake across salt-affected soils subjected to water shortage.
Water scarcity and soil salinity increasingly threaten staple cereal production across drought-prone and degraded agricultural lands. Identifying practical treatments that improve crop resilience, soil biology, and nutrient absorption enables farmers to sustain food yields while conserving water resources. This work demonstrates an approach using biological soil inoculants and nanoparticle sprays to maintain maize yields in challenging environments.
The findings demonstrate an applied agricultural strategy using bio-inoculants and foliar nanoparticle formulations for maize growers in regions affected by salinity and drought. Agrochemical manufacturers and agricultural extension services could use these combinations to develop targeted crop enhancement programmes. Tested across two seasons in field conditions, the treatment approach is applied and tested, though commercial deployment would require standardised formulation and field-scale delivery mechanisms.
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The development of new approaches for sustaining soil quality, leaf health, and maize productivity are imperative in light of water deficit and soil salinity. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and silica nanoparticles (SiNP) are expected to improve soil chemistry leading to improved plant performance and productivity. In this field experiment, water deficit is imposed by three irrigation intervals—12 (I1), 15 (I2), and 18 (I3) days. Plants are also treated with foliar and soil applications (control, PGPR, SiNP, and PGPR + SiNP) to assess soil enzymatic activity, soil physicochemical properties, plant physiological traits, biochemical analysis, nutrient uptake, and productivity of maize (Zea mays L.) plants grown under salt-affected soil during the 2019 and 2020 seasons. With longer irrigation intervals, soil application of PGPR relieves the deleterious impacts of water shortage and improves yield-related traits and maize productivity. This is attributed to the improvement in soil enzymatic activity (dehydrogenase and alkaline phosphatase) and soil physicochemical characteristics, which enhances the plants’ health and growth under longer irrigation intervals (i.e., I2 and I3). Foliar spraying of SiNP shows an improvement in the physiological traits in maize plants grown under water shortage. This is mainly owing to the decline in oxidative stress by improving the enzymatic activity (CAT, SOD, and POD) and ion balance (K+/Na+), resulting in higher photosynthetic rate, relative water content, photosynthetic pigments, and stomatal conductance, alongside reduced proline content, electrolyte leakage, lipid peroxidase, and sodium content under salt-affected soil. The co-treatment of SiNP with PGPR confirms greater improvement in yield-related traits, maize productivity, as well as nutrient uptake (N, P, and K). Accordingly, their combination is a good strategy for relieving the detrimental impacts of water shortage and soil salinity on maize production.
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DOI: 10.3390/agronomy11040676
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