Potential Effect of Mycorrhizal Inoculation, Fulvic Acid and Potassium Silicate on the Activity of Enzymatic Antioxidants and Nutritional Status of Wheat Grown Under Drought Conditions

Abdel-Moneam, M. A.; Seadh, S. E.; El-Sherpiny, M. A.; Hafez, H. A. A. S.

doi:10.21608/jpp.2025.401652.1484

Potential Effect of Mycorrhizal Inoculation, Fulvic Acid and Potassium Silicate on the Activity of Enzymatic Antioxidants and Nutritional Status of Wheat Grown Under Drought Conditions

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Agronomy Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Mansoura University- El-Mansoura-Egypt.

² Soil Fertility & Plant Nutation Research Department- Soil&Water and Environment Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center, El-Gama St., Giza, 12619 Egypt

10.21608/jpp.2025.401652.1484

Abstract

Given the importance of wheat as a strategic crop and the increasing threats posed by water scarcity, this study aims to evaluate the effects of mycorrhizal inoculation, fulvic acid and potassium silicate on the activity of enzymatic antioxidants in leaves of wheat and nutritional status of grain under skipping different irrigation. The experiment followed a split-split plot design, as the main factor was the irrigation treatments [I1: 5 irrigations were done, I₂:3 irrigations were done and I₃:2 irrigations were done]. The sub-main factor was the mycorrhizal [M₁: without mycorrhizal and M₂: With mycorrhizal]. The sub-submain factor was the foliar spray treatments [F₁: without spraying, F₂: Fulvic acid, F₃: Potassium silicate and F₄: fulvic acid + potassium silicate]. The highest levels of POD, CAT, SOD and MDA were recorded under severe water stress (I3), while the lowest values were observed under traditional irrigation (I1). The mycorrhizal (M2) significantly reduced oxidative stress in the plants compared to the control (M1). The combination of fulvic acid and potassium silicate (F4) resulted in the lowest enzymatic antioxidant activity and MDA levels. The traditional irrigation (I1) resulted in the highest NPK, carbohydrate and protein values in grains, while skipping irrigation events (I2 and I3) led to a significant reduction in these criteria. Additionally, M2 treatment led to higher NPK, carbohydrate and protein values compared to the control (M1). The foliar application of fulvic acid and potassium silicate, especially when combined (F4), further improved nutrient content and quality traits compared to untreated plants.

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