Amelioration of
water deficit by application of potassium and FYM in Lens culinaris (L.) Medikus
and Brassica napus L. under intercropping system
Punia Shweta, Meenakshi Meenakshi and Singh Narender
Res. J. Chem. Environ.; Vol. 28(1); 98-106;
doi: https://doi.org/10.25303/281rjce980106; (2024)
Abstract
Lens culinaris is an annual edible legume while Brassica napus is a common oil-production
crop. One of the most frequent abiotic stresses endangering agricultural food crops
is drought. Drought significantly impairs crop plants’ physiology and productivity
which eventually results in plant death. The present research was done to ameliorate
the adverse effects of drought stress on the growth, photosynthetic pigments and
water status of Brassica napus L. (GSC-7 variety) and Lens culinaris (L.) Medikus
(HM-1 variety) intercropping by combined application of potassium and farm yard
manure (FYM). The treatments were given as control (2 irrigations), early irrigation
(irrigation only during vegetative stage), late irrigation (irrigation only during
flowering stage) and stress (0 irrigation) along with different concentrations of
potassium and FYM i.e. K0(control) K1(10kg/acre) and K2(20kg/acre) K1M (10kg/acre+10tonne/hectare)
and K2M (20kg/acre+10tonne/hectare.
At the vegetative stage (45DAS), samples were taken and analyzed for different attributes.
Drought stress significantly affected the morphology and physiology of both cultivars
by reducing the photosynthetic pigments, water status (relative water content [RWC]
and membrane stability index [MSI]) in both cultivars compared to the control. But
potassium(K) and FYM supplementation improved both cultivars' RWC, MSI, photosynthetic
pigments and growth parameters. In addition, after K and FYM application under drought
stress, MDA levels and electrolyte leakage were decreased. These results authenticate
that potassium in combination with FYM considerably reduces the effect of drought
on both cultivars of intercropping by enhancing the plants' growth, photosynthetic
activities and water status.
