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Drought alleviatory potential of Kappaphycus seaweed extract and the role of the quaternary ammonium compounds as its constituents towards imparting drought tolerance in Zea mays L.

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Abstract

Kappaphycus seaweed extract (KSWE) has been reported to enhance the yield of several crops under normal conditions. The detection of the quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) glycine betaine and choline chloride (GBCh) in KSWE impelled us to explore its efficacy on growth and yield under soil moisture deficit conditions. Another objective was to elucidate the extent to which the QACs have a role in mitigating drought stress, if at all. Thus, a factorial experiment was carried out on maize plants, wherein five foliar treatments (KSWE at 10 and 15%; GBCh at equivalent concentration to that found in 10 and 15% KSWE, respectively, designated as 10 and 15% Eq-GBCh; and water spray control) were subjected to three soil moisture stress levels (well-watered, WW; moderately stressed, MS; and severely stressed, SS). Observations were recorded for growth and yield parameters, pigments, photosynthetic attributes, antioxidant enzymes, and quality of grains. The results revealed the ability of KSWE to alleviate soil moisture stress, 10% KSWE being effective in increasing the seed yield under WW and MS conditions while 15% being optimal under SS condition. The percent increases in seed yield over their respective controls under WW, MS, and SS conditions at the optimal KSWE concentrations were 13.5, 21.7, and 36.4%, respectively, indicating higher grain yield response to KSWE treatments at higher stress levels. The yield advantage under stress could be attributed to minimal damage of photosystem in KSWE-treated plants as evidenced by higher pigment content, photosynthetic rate, reduced photoinhibition, and lipid peroxidation by enhanced protection against reactive oxygen species. The protein content in grains was enhanced by KSWE application under all stress groups compared to their respective controls. Although the predominant role of GBCh in KSWE towards drought mitigation and yield response was apparent, the results also connoted towards the role of other constituents in KSWE acting in unison along with GBCh, which should be investigated further.

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Acknowledgments

KT and DK greatly acknowledge the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)-sponsored MLP 0016 and CSC-0105 projects for their fellowships. The authors also acknowledge Mr. Chagan Jambucha and Mr. Bhavesh Baraiya for their continuous assistance during the field experiment. The Analytical Division of CSMCRI is also greatly acknowledged for providing centralized instrument facility to carry out elemental analysis. Dr. CRK Reddy and personnel at MARS Mandapam Unit, especially Dr. K. Eswaran and Dr. Vaibhav Mantri, are also acknowledged for their support. M/s Aquagri is thanked for providing the KSWE prepared using CSIR-CSMCRI technology. Dr. Amitava Das, Dr. Pradeep Agarwal, and the entire staff of the division are also acknowledged for their support. This manuscript bears CSIR-CSMCRI 036/2017 communication number.

Funding

This work was supported by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Delhi, India under the project “Multi-institutional demonstration trials showing the efficacy of liquid seaweed sap from Kappaphycus alvarezii and Gracilaria edulis on different crops” (MLP 0016).

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  1. Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSIR-CSMCRI), Gijubhai Badheka Marg, Bhavnagar, Gujarat, 364 002, India

    Khanjan Trivedi, Denish Kubavat & Arup Ghosh

  2. Agronomy and Bio Fertilizer Group, Biotechnology and Phycology Division, CSIR-Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSIR-CSMCRI), Gijubhai Badheka Marg, Bhavnagar, Gujarat, 364 002, India

    Khanjan Trivedi, K. G. Vijay Anand, Denish Kubavat & Arup Ghosh

  3. Analytical and Environmental Science Division and Centralized Instrument Facility, CSIR-Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSIR-CSMCRI), Gijubhai Badheka Marg, Bhavnagar, Gujarat, 364 002, India

    Rajesh Patidar

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  1. Khanjan Trivedi
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  2. K. G. Vijay Anand
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Trivedi, K., Vijay Anand, K.G., Kubavat, D. et al. Drought alleviatory potential of Kappaphycus seaweed extract and the role of the quaternary ammonium compounds as its constituents towards imparting drought tolerance in Zea mays L.. J Appl Phycol 30, 2001–2015 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-017-1375-0

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