Drought stress is a major limitation in enhancing agricultural productivity to fulfill the food demand for the world's population. Fertigation of plants with a variety of biochemicals is being used to create drought resistance in wheat; however, the previous work has been limited in addressing these issues in plants at different growth stages. Therefore, a greenhouse study was conducted to ameliorate the drought stress in two wheat varieties (Chakwal-50 and Faisalabad-2008) by foliar application of 24-epibrassinolide (EBL). It was evident that drought stress had a negative effect on the growth, photosynthesis, and yield of wheat plants. EBL significantly enhanced the plant growth both under optimal and drought conditions. EBL improved the plant height, spike length, and the dry weights of roots, shoots, and grains as compared to control. Furthermore, the foliar application of EBL positively enhanced the osmolyte accumulation, increased the amounts of photosynthetic pigments, and improved the gas exchange parameters. The EBL minimized the oxidative stress by reducing electrolyte leakage, malondialdehyde, and hydrogen peroxide contents whereas it enhanced the activities of antioxidant enzymes, such as catalase, superoxide dismutase, and peroxidase under drought stress. The EBL significantly improved the level of stress hormones, such as abscisic acid, indol acetic acid, and cytokinin under drought stress. The growth response of Chakwal-50 was higher than that of Faisalabad-2008 when exposed to EBL under drought stress. Overall, the EBL plays a major role in the enhancement of growth, biomass, yield, and decrease in oxidative damage in wheat under drought conditions, however; field investigations with different doses of EBL are needed before any further recommendation.
© 2020 Scandinavian Plant Physiology Society.