Synergistic effects of water management and silicon on barley growth and yield under agro-climatic conditions of Punjab, India

Climate change manifests itself in various ways, including drought, which is a worldwide phenomenon. The rising frequency and intensity of drought stress have emerged as significant threats to agricultural productivity worldwide. Water shortages during critical growth stages hinder crop productivity and production, significantly impacting global food security. Drought-induced stress disrupts plant metabolic processes, leading to reduced biomass accumulation and grain formation. Silicon (Si) has been widely recognized for its ability to enhance plant resilience under both normal and stressful conditions by improving physiological, biochemical and morphological traits. This study evaluates the role of irrigation and foliar silicon application in improving barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) growth, yield attributes and biochemical responses. The findings reveal significant effects of irrigation and silicon treatments, highlighting their role in mitigating drought-induced stress. Among the treatments, four irrigations (I3) significantly improved morphological traits, yield attributes and yield and biochemical parameters of barley. Additionally, foliar silicon application at 0.5 % demonstrated a notable ameliorate effect on plant growth, yield attributes and relative water content. Silicon supplementation helps to improve osmotic balance, enzyme activity and defense mechanisms, which could possibly play a crucial role in enhancing drought tolerance. Multivariate analyses, including principal component analysis, identified key variables distinguishing treatment responses under drought stress. Furthermore, classification based on stress tolerance indices provided insights into the effectiveness of different silicon levels in enhancing drought resistance. These findings highlight the potential of integrating irrigation management with silicon supplementation to enhance barley’s adaptation to drought stress, offering valuable implications for sustainable crop production in arid and water-limited agroecosystems. An overdose of foliar silicon negatively impacted my barley crop by reducing growth and yield due to potential nutrient imbalances and physiological stress.