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Abstract

Lentil is an imperative legume crop recognized for its high protein content, capacity for fixing atmospheric nitrogen, and its role in agricultural sustainability. Its productivity significantly hampered by limited water supply. However, it is important to develop eco-friendly strategies to sustain yield under water scarcity. Nutritional management is an essential strategy to improve lentil productivity while minimizing the negative effects of water stress. Therefore, current study was performed to evaluate the impact of three concentrations (50, 75 and 100 ppm) of riboflavin and distilled water (control) applied at three different growth stages; 45, 60, and 75 days after crop emergence (DACE) of lentil grown under both well-watered and drought-stressed conditions. Riboflavin significantly improved the growth, physiological, and yield traits of lentil under normal and drought conditions. Riboflavin, 100 ppm applied at 60 DACE performed consistently better than rest of the treatments. Compared with controls, T8 increased plant height (40.83%), number of branches (61%), seed yield (16.14%), protein content (23.74%) and oil contents (54.85%). Total chlorophyll and relative water content were also improved markedly, particularly under drought stress demonstrating the riboflavin’s role in mitigating water-deficit damage. Across parameters, drought stress reduced performance, but riboflavin sprays especially at higher concentrations substantially alleviated these losses. Conclusively, it was observed that riboflavin application, particularly at 100 ppm, can be used as a suitable growth-stimulating and stress-relieving agent in the cultivation of lentil crop.

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