Mitigating drought stress in fenugreek through synergistic effects of alanine and potassium-enriched biochar
Abstract Drought stress adversely affects plant growth, development, and yield. It can decrease seed germination, biomass accumulation, root proliferation, chlorophyll contents, and stomatal conductance. To overcome this critical issue, researchers suggest employing environmentally friendly approach...
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BMC
2025-02-01
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| Series: | BMC Plant Biology |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-025-06116-6 |
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| author | Wanzheng Ma Xinyu Fang Mengru Qiu Misbah Hareem Zeki Erden Çağdaş Can Toprak Abdullah A. Alarfaj |
| author_facet | Wanzheng Ma Xinyu Fang Mengru Qiu Misbah Hareem Zeki Erden Çağdaş Can Toprak Abdullah A. Alarfaj |
| author_sort | Wanzheng Ma |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Drought stress adversely affects plant growth, development, and yield. It can decrease seed germination, biomass accumulation, root proliferation, chlorophyll contents, and stomatal conductance. To overcome this critical issue, researchers suggest employing environmentally friendly approaches. The exogenous application of alanine (AL) acts as an osmolyte, which helps balance the cellular water under drought stress. It can also improve root architecture, biomass accumulation, and plant fertilizer use efficiency. Applying biochar can improve soil structure, water, and nutrient retention in soil, which are allied factors in enhancing plant growth under drought stress. Furthermore, the enrichment of potassium (K) in biochar also increases its availability to plants, directly regulating the stomatal conductance to alleviate drought stress. That’s why the current study aims to explore the combined effect of AL and potassium-enriched biochar (KBC) on fenugreek cultivated under drought stress. Four levels of AL (control, 2mM, 4mM, and 6mM) were applied with 0%, 1%, and 2% KBC in three replicates. Results showed that 2mM AL + 2%KBC showed significant improvement in plant length (5.24%), plant fresh weight (25.36%), plant dry weight (16.23%), chlorophyll a (7.80%), chlorophyll b (15.83%), total chlorophyll (10.65%) over the control under drought stress. A significant increase in shoot N, P, and K concentration compared to control under drought stress also validated the effectiveness of 2mM AL + 2%KBC. In conclusion, 2mM AL + 2%KBC is an effective amendment for alleviating drought stress in fenugreeks. Under drought stress, growers are recommended to apply 2mM AL + 2%KBC to achieve better fenugreek growth. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3ce6735579064b9d926c5c38a6487a5f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1471-2229 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Plant Biology |
| spelling | doaj-art-3ce6735579064b9d926c5c38a6487a5f2025-02-09T12:27:57ZengBMCBMC Plant Biology1471-22292025-02-0125111210.1186/s12870-025-06116-6Mitigating drought stress in fenugreek through synergistic effects of alanine and potassium-enriched biocharWanzheng Ma0Xinyu Fang1Mengru Qiu2Misbah Hareem3Zeki Erden4Çağdaş Can Toprak5Abdullah A. Alarfaj6College of Resource and Environment, Anhui Science and Technology UniversityCollege of Resource and Environment, Anhui Science and Technology UniversityCollege of Resource and Environment, Anhui Science and Technology UniversityDepartment of Environmental Sciences, Woman University MultanDepartment of Field Crops, Faculty of Agriculture, Siirt UniversityDepartment of Field Crops, Faculty of Agriculture, Siirt UniversityDepartment of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud UniversityAbstract Drought stress adversely affects plant growth, development, and yield. It can decrease seed germination, biomass accumulation, root proliferation, chlorophyll contents, and stomatal conductance. To overcome this critical issue, researchers suggest employing environmentally friendly approaches. The exogenous application of alanine (AL) acts as an osmolyte, which helps balance the cellular water under drought stress. It can also improve root architecture, biomass accumulation, and plant fertilizer use efficiency. Applying biochar can improve soil structure, water, and nutrient retention in soil, which are allied factors in enhancing plant growth under drought stress. Furthermore, the enrichment of potassium (K) in biochar also increases its availability to plants, directly regulating the stomatal conductance to alleviate drought stress. That’s why the current study aims to explore the combined effect of AL and potassium-enriched biochar (KBC) on fenugreek cultivated under drought stress. Four levels of AL (control, 2mM, 4mM, and 6mM) were applied with 0%, 1%, and 2% KBC in three replicates. Results showed that 2mM AL + 2%KBC showed significant improvement in plant length (5.24%), plant fresh weight (25.36%), plant dry weight (16.23%), chlorophyll a (7.80%), chlorophyll b (15.83%), total chlorophyll (10.65%) over the control under drought stress. A significant increase in shoot N, P, and K concentration compared to control under drought stress also validated the effectiveness of 2mM AL + 2%KBC. In conclusion, 2mM AL + 2%KBC is an effective amendment for alleviating drought stress in fenugreeks. Under drought stress, growers are recommended to apply 2mM AL + 2%KBC to achieve better fenugreek growth.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-025-06116-6AlanineAntioxidantsBiocharChlorophyll contentDrought stress |
| spellingShingle | Wanzheng Ma Xinyu Fang Mengru Qiu Misbah Hareem Zeki Erden Çağdaş Can Toprak Abdullah A. Alarfaj Mitigating drought stress in fenugreek through synergistic effects of alanine and potassium-enriched biochar BMC Plant Biology Alanine Antioxidants Biochar Chlorophyll content Drought stress |
| title | Mitigating drought stress in fenugreek through synergistic effects of alanine and potassium-enriched biochar |
| title_full | Mitigating drought stress in fenugreek through synergistic effects of alanine and potassium-enriched biochar |
| title_fullStr | Mitigating drought stress in fenugreek through synergistic effects of alanine and potassium-enriched biochar |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mitigating drought stress in fenugreek through synergistic effects of alanine and potassium-enriched biochar |
| title_short | Mitigating drought stress in fenugreek through synergistic effects of alanine and potassium-enriched biochar |
| title_sort | mitigating drought stress in fenugreek through synergistic effects of alanine and potassium enriched biochar |
| topic | Alanine Antioxidants Biochar Chlorophyll content Drought stress |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-025-06116-6 |
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