PJB-2023-593
Adaptive responses of two distinct wheat varieties to drought stress through microbial-augmented vermicompost
Ali Ahmad, Zubair Aslam, Korkmaz Bellitürk, Saddam Hussain and Irshad Bibi
Abstract
Wheat, a vital cereal crop, is predominantly grown in arid and semi-arid regions, making it susceptible to drought stress. The adverse effects of drought on wheat can potentially be mitigated through the application of cellulolytic microbes-enriched vermicompost. To explore this, two field studies were conducted at the Student Research Farm, Agronomy Department, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, during 2020-21 and 2021-22. The research examined the impact of cellulolytic microbes-enriched vermicompost on the agronomic, physiological, and enzymatic antioxidant traits of wheat under varying soil moisture levels. The treatments included: (a) Three soil moisture levels: well-watered (D0, 70% field capacity), moderate drought (D1, 45% field capacity), and severe drought (D2, 30% field capacity). (b) Two wheat varieties: Galaxy-13 (drought-sensitive) and Faisalabad-08 (drought-tolerant). (c) Four microbial enriched vermicompost levels: VT0 (control, no vermicompost), VT1 (6 t/ha wheat straw vermicompost), VT2 (6 t/ha rice straw vermicompost), and VT3 (4 t/ha cow dung vermicompost). The results revealed that the highest crop growth and yield were achieved with 4 t/ha cow dung vermicompost (VT3), followed by rice straw vermicompost (VT2) and wheat straw vermicompost (VT1). The lowest performance was observed in the control (VT0) across both wheat cultivars. Faisalabad-08 consistently outperformed Galaxy-13 in growth and yield under both moderate and severe drought conditions. The findings further highlighted that drought stress significantly reduced agronomic, physiological, biochemical, and growth traits of wheat. However, the application of vermicompost enhanced these characteristics and improved yield, even under water-limited conditions
To Cite this article:
Ahmad, A., Z. Aslam, K. Bellitürk, S. Hussain and I. Bibi. 2025. Adaptive responses of two distinct wheat varieties to drought stress through microbial-augmented vermicompost. Pak. J. Bot., 57(5): DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.30848/PJB2025-5(28)
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