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Globally, salinity is an important abiotic stress in agriculture. It induced oxidative stress and nutritional imbalance in plants, resulting in poor crop productivity. Applying silicon (Si) can improve the uptake of macronutrients. On the other hand, using biochar as a soil amendment can also decrease salinity stress due to its high porosity, cation exchange capacity, and water-holding capacity. That's why the current experiment was conducted with novelty to explore the impact of silicon nanoparticle-based biochar (Si-BC) on wheat cultivated on salt-affected soil. There were 3 levels of Si-BC, i.e., control (0), 1% Si-BC1, and 2.5% Si-BC2 applied in 3 replicates under 0 and 200 mM NaCl following a completely randomized design. Results showed that treatment 2.5% Si-BC2 performed significantly better for the enhancement in shoot and root length, shoot and root fresh weight, shoot and root dry weight, number of leaves, number of tillers, number of spikelets, spike length, spike fresh and dry weight compared to control under no stress and salinity stress (200 mM NaCl). A significant enhancement in chlorophyll a (~ 18%), chlorophyll b (~ 22%), total chlorophyll (~ 20%), carotenoid (~ 60%), relative water contents (~ 58%) also signified the effectiveness of treatment 2.5% Si-BC2 than control under 200 mM NaCl. In conclusion, treatment 2.5% Si-BC2 can potentially mitigate the salinity stress in wheat by regulating antioxidants and improving N, K concentration, and gas exchange attributes while decreasing Na and Cl concentration and electrolyte leakage. More investigations at the field level are recommended for the declaration of treatment 2.5% Si-BC2 as the best amendment for alleviating salinity stress in different crops under variable climatic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought and cadmium (Cd) stress are both major issues that significantly affect the growth and development of wheat plants. Both drought stress and Cd toxicity disrupt physiological processes i.e., nutrient uptake, cell expansion, and enzymatic reactions resulting in poor crop growth. To overcome these issues, the use of activated carbon and gibberellic acid (GA3) are considered valuable amendments. However, the current study aimed to add value using GA3-enriched biochar (GA3-BC). That's why, a lab experiment was conducted on wheat to assess the effectiveness of GA3-BC against Cd and drought stress. For GA3 enrichment in biochar, 10 µg GA3/g biochar was mixed. There were 3 levels of GA3-BC i.e., 0, 0.6 (GA3-BC1), and 0.9% (GA3-BC). All levels were applied in 3 replicates under no stress (0Cd + no drought), drought stress (DS), and 6 mg Cd/ kg soil (6Cd). Results showed that GA3-BC2 caused a significant improvement in shoot length (44.99%), root length (99.73%), seedling length (60.13%) and shoot fresh weight (63.59%) over control at 6Cd + drought stress. A significant improvement in chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and total chlorophyll while a decrease in electrolyte leakage and regulation of antioxidants i.e., lipid peroxidation, SOD, CAT, APx, GR, GPx, GST, and DPHH also signified the effectiveness of GA3-BC2 compared to control at 6Cd + drought stress. In conclusion, GA3-BC2 is an efficacious amendment for simultaneously alleviating drought and Cd stress in wheat. More investigations are recommended at the field level on different cereal crops cultivated in different soil textures to declare GA3-BC2 as the best treatment for mitigation of drought stress and Cd toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]