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Chitosan Polymerized Silica Composite as a Potential Silicon Source: Modulation on Antioxidant Enzymes, Ionic Homeostasis, and Grain Quality in Maize Plants Under Na+ Stress

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Abstract

Chitosan based composites are environment friendly adsorbents, widely used in metal sorption and wastewater treatment; however, their use in agriculture under soil salinity has not been explored so far. Therefore, the present study was designed to select the best material [on silicon (Si) concentration basis] from different naturally occurring adsorbents and then evaluate the relative suitability of Si application methods for enhancing maize crop defensive mechanism, its ionic concentration and nutritional value under salt stress. Two maize cultivars: salt-sensitive (EV1089) and salt-tolerant (Syngenta-8441) were sown in the soil at pot scale. Chitosan polymerized silica (CP-Si) composite was selected as a best source on the basis of Si concentration (Si ~ 96%). Characterization of CP-Si was performed through scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-Ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-Ray fluorescence (XRF), X-Ray diffraction (XRD), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis. Five CP-Si application rates such as control, Si1 (1 mM soil Si), Si2 (1% foliar Si at six leaf stage), Si3 (1% foliar Si at six leaf stage + 1% at twelve leaf stages), Si4 (foliar Si at twelve leaf stage), and two salinity rates (Control, 60 mM NaCl) were applied. Results revealed the enhanced activities of SOD and APX (148 and 134%), respectively, owing to 64% reduction in H2O2 contents by double foliar CP-Si application in Syngenta-8441under salt stress. This enhancement of antioxidant activities strengthened the salt stress tolerance mechanism of Syngenta-8441 as indicated by SEM analysis showing many rough and funnel shaped pores in surface and EDX spectra of the CP-Si+Na+ composite thus, confirming the increase in Na adsorption on CP-Si-soil interface. The increments in shoot K and Si concentrations to improve maize grain quality parameters further supported the effectiveness of CP-Si+Na+ composite in salt stress. These results proved CP-Si as an excellent Si source to enhance the maize yield under salt stress conditions either through soil or foliar application.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are highly thankful to the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan for financing this research under Startup Research Grant Program, Project# 993.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sustainable Development Study Centre, Government College University, Lahore, 54000, Pakistan

    Waqas-ud-Din Khan & Faiza Sharif

  2. Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia

    Waqas-ud-Din Khan

  3. Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Vehari Campus, Vehari, 61100, Pakistan

    Muhammad Asif Naeem & Muhammad Imran

  4. Institute of Environmental Sciences & Engineering (IESE), National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST), Sector H-12, Islamabad, 44000, Pakistan

    Muhammad Ansar Farooq

  5. Department of Botany, Government College University, Lahore, 54000, Pakistan

    Zafar Siddiq

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Contributions

W-U-DK conceived the idea and designed the research. W-U-DK, FS and ZS conducted the experiment and analyzed the data. W-U-DK, MAN, MI and MAF developed the full draft and analyzed the data. W-U-DK, MAN, MAF and ZS revised and critically reviewed the manuscript. All authors contributed to the subsequent development and approved the final manuscript. At the end, all authors again reviewed the manuscript carefully.

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Khan, WuD., Sharif, F., Naeem, M.A. et al. Chitosan Polymerized Silica Composite as a Potential Silicon Source: Modulation on Antioxidant Enzymes, Ionic Homeostasis, and Grain Quality in Maize Plants Under Na+ Stress. J Plant Growth Regul 42, 2374–2388 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-022-10711-4

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