Improving the water use efficiency, greenness index, and wheat grain yield under various irrigation regions using biofertilizer

Subject Areas : agronomy

Abolghasem Moradgholi ¹ (Ph.D. student of agronomy, Agriculture Department. Zahedan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Zahedan. Iran.)
Hamidreza Mobasser ² (Agriculture Department , Zahedan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Zahedan. Iran)
Hamidreza Ganjali ³ (Assistant Prof., Agriculture Department. Zahedan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Zahedan. Iran)
Hamidreza Fanaie ⁴ (Associate Prof., Horticulture-Crops Research Department, Sistan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, AREEO, Zabol, Iran.)
Ahmad Mehraban ⁵ (Associate Prof., Agriculture Department. Zahedan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Zahedan. Iran)

Received: 2022-10-18 Accepted : 2022-12-06 Published : 2023-01-21

Keywords: Water deficit stress, Bread Wheat, chlorophyll a and b, SPAD, azotobacter and Phosphobacteria,

Abstract :

Drought is one of the most important nonliving stresses affecting the growth of plants, thereby limiting the agricultural yield of the plant. Measures including presenting information for improving the drought risk management, improving planning for more effective reaction to drought, investment on disaster risk reduction (DRR), and presenting an environment for minimizing the general risks lead to enhanced endurance, as well as prevention or reduction of future drought risks along with maintaining livelihoods. This research was performed in two agricultural years as split court experiments in the form of fully randomized block with four replications. Various conditions of soil humidity were considered as the main treatment at three along with the treatment of biofertilizers at seven levels, considered as secondary treatments. The study results indicated that various humidity conditions of the leaf relative water content (RWC), the greenness index of leaves (SPAD), chlorophyll a and b, as well as the grain yield became significant. With increase in the severity of stress, their values decreased suggesting their sensitivity to changes in the status of soil water and the leaf water potential. Usage of azotobacter and Phosphobacteria biofertilizers resulted in significant elevation of SPAD, RWC, chlorophyll a and b, as well as grain yield compared to the nonuse of biofertilizers. The effects of combined use of microorganisms led to compensation of the water stress damages. Generally, considering water deficit conditions and temperature elevation resulting from climate change, use of microorganisms as seed priming can considerably reduce these risks.