Effects of nitric oxide application on growth responses of barley genotypes with different reactions on toxic level boron treatment

Barley is the third largest produced crop in the world as well as in our country and hence, holds a significant place in the cereals. . Importance of boron for plants growth and development is well recognized. However, plants differ a lot in terms of their boron requirements. Moreover, several genotypes within the same species show huge variations in their behavior towards boron. In our experiment, we used genetic variation of Boron sensitive Hamidiye and Boron tolerant Tokak barley genotypes. There is a narrow range between boron deficiency and toxicity in plants. However, both deficient and toxic B conditions restrict the plant growth and development. Thus, it is crucial to determine the B requirement of the target plant and amount of Boron present in soil to obtain high crop yield and quality. In order to get enhanced production under B toxic soil, either excessive B should be removed from the soil or plant tolerance towards Boron toxic conditions should be improved. In order to get favorable plant growth under B stressed conditions, the main objective of this thesis study is to determine the effect of nitric oxide application on the growth of barley genotypes under B-toxic conditions. Endogenously produced nitric oxide (NO), shows great positive effects when exogenously applied on plants. In the experiment, two barley genotypes were grown under control and toxic growth conditions in departmental greenhouse. Hence, experiment contained 2 dosages, 2 genotypes, 2 treatment applications (control and toxic) and 4 replicates, with a total of 32 pots. Samples for physiological and elemental analysis have been collected after the observation of effect of stress on plants. Basic growth and developmental parameters have been recorded for all the experimental genotypes. Among several other crucial results, Hamidiye genotype showed high proline content on NO application under B toxic conditions as compared to control.