Effects of sulphur and chlorine on photosynthetic parameters, antioxidant enzyme activities and yield in fresh corn grown under field conditions

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Effects of sulphur and chlorine on photosynthetic parameters, antioxidant enzyme activities and yield in fresh corn grown under field conditions

Tinashe Zenda, Songtao Liu, Daxuan Yao, Yunting Liu, Huijun Duan
Int. J. Agron. Agri. Res.11( 6), 32-45, December 2017.
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Abstract

Sulphur (S) and chlorine (Cl) roles in plant physiology, abiotic stress tolerance, yield and quality improvements in different crop species have been widely acknowledged. Despite all this however, their influences in fresh corn still remain largely unreported. In  the current study, therefore, an integrated field-and-lab experiments approach was used to investigate S (38 kg ha-1) and Cl (84 kg ha-1) effects on photosynthetic parameters [photosynthetic rate (Pn), transpiration rate (Tr), leaf stomatal conductance (gs), leaf chlorophyll (lc) and protein (lp) contents], antioxidant enzyme (SOD and POD) activities and level of lipid peroxidation (MDA content) at different (56, 70, and 85 DAS) growth stages; as well as the total fresh ear yield (kg ha-1) in three fresh corn cultivars (TDN21, JKN2000 and JKN928) grown under field conditions. Results showed that S significantly (P≤0.05) increased Pn, lc and lp in all cultivars, particularly at 56 DAS. Additionally, S significantly enhanced SOD and POD activities, simultaneously decreasing MDA content, prominently from 70 DAS to 85 DAS period in all three cultivars. On the other hand, Clwas mainly prominent in increasing chlorophyll content, particularly in TDN21 and JKN928 at 70 DAS and 85 DAS, whilst showing a tendency to increase MDA content. Further, S significantly increased total fresh ear yield in fresh corn cultivars by 6.58% to 18.12%, whereas Cl influence was not significant. We conclude that sulphur confers antioxidative and physiological functions against general abiotic stress, contributing to yield improvement in fresh corn grown under field conditions.

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