Volume 59, Issue 329, May 2023

Influence of zinc on germination of maize (Zea mays) germplasm under saline stress condition

Zain-Ul-Sajjad^1♦, Zohaa Fatima¹, Sheikh Muhammad Ijaz², Rizwan Abbas³, Muhammad Bilal³, Muhammad Subhan³, Sharaft Hussain³

¹Department of Agronomy, PMAS Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
²Departments of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Pakistan
³Departments of Agronomy, Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Agriculture University Multan, Pakistan

^♦Corresponding author
Department of Agronomy, PMAS Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan

ABSTRACT

The present study is an experimental investigation of the effects of varying rates of zinc application on maize germplasm under salt stress conditions. The experiment was conducted at Arid University Rawalpindi, using 30 standardized pots filled with a mixture of soil and sand. The pots were divided into five treatments, with zinc applied at varying rates of 0, 4, 8, 12 and 16g per pot and 16g of NaCl salt added to induce salt stress. The experiment lasted for a total of 35 days in order to examine the effects of varying rates of zinc application on various germination parameters such as germination percentage, plant height, mortal plant, shoot moisture content percentage and root moisture content percentage under salt stress. Data collection was performed by using, Microsoft Excel 2016 and subjected to statistical analysis of variance (ANOVA). The least significant difference (LSD) method was employed to determine significant differences between treatment means at a 5% probability level. The results of the experiment were showed the effects of varying zinc application rates on maize germplasm germination and growth under salt stress conditions. In the experiment, various quantities of zinc (0g, 4g, 8g, 12g and 16g) were administered to plants. The treatment with 16g zinc demonstrated the highest germination percentage (100%) and the tallest plants (41.667 cm). The no zinc treatment showed the lowest germination percentage (60%) and shortest plants (22 cm). The findings indicate that zinc has a beneficial effect on plant growth and survival.

Keywords: Arid zone, NaCl, Germplasm, Saline stress, Zinc, Zea mays

Discovery, 2023, 59, e54d1227

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Published: May 2023