Thiamine (vitamin B1) helps to regulate wheat growth and yield under water limited conditions by adjusting tissue mineral content, cytosolutes and antioxidative enzymes.

Bashir, Rohina; Iqbal, Salama; Awais, Muhammad; Afzal, Beenish; Shakoor, Muhammad Bilal; Iqbal, Muhammad

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the broadly cultivated food crops but water shortage has caused a serious threat to its productivity around the world. This study investigated the thiamine application on two wheat varieties (Galaxy 2013 and Chakwal 86) for water stress tolerance in wheat. Water stress (100 and 50% field capacity) was reduced by foliar application of different doses of thiamine (0, 50, 100, 150 mg/L) with the aim of ameliorating plant growth attributes. Both cultivars provided statistically significant negative response to applied water stress. A significant reduction in growth, biochemical, mineral nutrients, and yield of wheat plants in both cultivars was observed but the effect was more pronounced in Galaxy 2013. A notable increase in plant height, biomass and chlorophyll content was observed in Chakwal 86 by thiamine application both under control and stress conditions. Moreover, reduction in oxidative stress markers viz., hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), malondialdehyde and electrolyte leakage was found with thiamine application under stress in Chakwal 86. In addition, cellular antioxidants, mineral contents and yield attributes were also enhanced under control and stress conditions in Chakwal 86 variety by thiamine application. Overall, 100 mg/L thiamine was found effective under control and stress in both cultivars. Chakwal 86 showed considerable tolerance potential and presented less damage than Galaxy 2013. The findings of this study suggest that the foliar application of thiamine mediate plant responses under water stress and could be used as an efficient strategy to reduce stress-induced damage on plants.

Plant Growth Regulation, 2023, Vol 101, Issue 3, p629

0167-6903

Academic Journal

10.1007/s10725-023-01045-6