Planting models and mulching materials management to improve anti-oxidant defense system, grain hormone balance and production of maize in semi-arid regions

Libing Yuan; Yaling Geng; Shahzad Ali

doi:10.1016/j.jplph.2022.153897

Planting models and mulching materials management to improve anti-oxidant defense system, grain hormone balance and production of maize in semi-arid regions

J Plant Physiol. 2023 Jan:280:153897. doi: 10.1016/j.jplph.2022.153897. Epub 2022 Dec 12.

Authors

Libing Yuan¹, Yaling Geng¹, Shahzad Ali²

Affiliations

¹ Plant Protection Institute, Hebei Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, IPM Centre of Hebei Province, Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Northern Region of North China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, China.
² Department of Agriculture, Hazara University, Mansehra, 21120, Pakistan. Electronic address: aliAhmad_888@outlook.com.

PMID: 36529074
DOI: 10.1016/j.jplph.2022.153897

Abstract

The water shortage and weeds damage have become severe problems in the dry-land farming system of China, the farming commonly using mulching materials strategy as a water-saving and weeds precaution agricultural technology. However, it is still unclear whether various mulching applications under different cultivation models can improve the antioxidant defence system, herbicide tolerance, and grain hormone balance, photosynthetic capacity and grain yield of corn. Therefore, during 2018-2019, a two-year study was conducted, and the following six treatments were used: CT: traditional planting; SM: corn stalk mulch; FM: plastic mulch; RT: ridges cultivation without plastic mulch; RP: Plastic mulch covering ridges and furrows; RPS: Plastic covering on ridges and straw on furrows. The results revealed that the RPS treatment enhanced the soil water storage in the jointing and filling stages, and obtained a higher chlorophyll stability index, IAA, Z + ZR, ABA, corn yield and other plant hormone content, compared with the control plot. Furthermore, this improvement is attributed to the reduction of oxidative damage of malondialdehyde (MDA) content at different growth stages. The RPS and RP treatments considerably improved the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), also decreased considerably the MDA, H₂O₂ and O₂^- contents at various growth stages. The RPS treatment had a higher ability to reduce the H₂O₂ and O₂^-, and the better anti-oxidant enzyme activity due to the lower level of lipid peroxidation, which can efficiently protect the photosynthesis mechanism and significantly improve (54.8%) biomass, (49.5%), WUE_g, (89.1%), WUE_b and (98.0%) grain yield are higher than CT treatment. In conclusion, RPS treatment has a great potential in improving grain hormone balance, antioxidant defence system and corn production in semi-arid areas.

Keywords: Anti-oxidative defence system; Cultivation models; Dry-land farming; Herbicide tolerance; Hormone; Maize production; Mulching materials.

MeSH terms

Agriculture / methods
Antioxidants*
China
Hormones
Hydrogen Peroxide
Plastics
Soil
Water
Zea mays*

Substances

Antioxidants
Hydrogen Peroxide
Soil
Water
Hormones
Plastics