Ameliorative Effects of Sorgaab Soil Drenching On Growth, Chlorophyll Pigments, Nutrient Relations, and Oxidative Metabolism in Cadmium-Stressed Zea Mays L.

Cadmium (Cd) is a hazardous trace contaminant that naturally occurs in soil and poses a global concern due to its severe impacts on human health and ecological security. In plants, tremendous efforts have been made to use some cost-effective, non-toxic, and organically made key growth regulators that partake in coping plants against adverse environmental conditions. However, the role of sorghum water extract (SWE) in attenuating the noxious effect of Cd stress is still limited in various crops including maize. In this study, different growth attributes, and physiological and biochemical indices of Cd-exposed (0, and 500 mu M) maize plants were analyzed to confirm the protective role of SWE at different concentrations (0%, 2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, and 10%). However, Cd application decreased maize growth such as plant length, number of leaves, number of roots, leaf area and biomass, and deteriorated the photosynthetic pigments such as carotenoids, chlorophyll a and b contents, decreased nutrient uptake, especially calcium and potassium ions and increased reactive oxygen species such as hydrogen peroxide. Though, medium supplementation of SWE at 10% level followed by 7.5% improved plant growth indices (plant length, number of leaves, number of roots, leaf area and biomass), nutrient uptake (calcium, potassium, nitrate, phosphate, and sulfate) and defense responses (ascorbic acid, phenolics, flavonoids) that can be attributed to enhanced physiological functioning and hermetic responses of maize plants to potential allelochemicals present in SWE. The present research highlights that the integration of these allelochemicals can be a promising approach in the future for sustainable agriculture and for keeping the environment safe at low costs.