Silicon nutrition and mycorrhizal inoculations improve growth, nutrient status, K+/Na+ ratio and yield of Cicer arietinum L. genotypes under salinity stress

Salinity is a major abiotic stress that limits plant growth and productivity. Role of silicon (Si) nutrition and arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) in mitigating salt stress has gained importance in recent years. Legumes are sensitive to salinity and are considered low Si-accumulators. AM have been reported to increase Si uptake in mycorrhizal plants. However, little is known about the alleviative role of Si and/or AM in mitigating salt stress in Cicer arietinum L. (chickpea). Therefore, the present study was aimed to evaluate the individual and cumulative effect of Si and AM (Funneliformis mosseae) on nutrient status, growth and productivity of salt tolerant HC 3 and salt sensitive CSG 9505 genotypes of chickpea under salinity stress conditions. The genotypes were subjected to 0, 60, 80,100 mM NaCl and 0, 4 mM potassium silicate—K₂SiO₃ treatments in the presence and absence of AM fungi. The results indicated that the Si and AM treatments improve the endogenous nutrients profile, growth characteristics and yield attributes under salinity stress. AM was found to be more efficient in improving growth and productivity while Si was more beneficial in improving K⁺/Na⁺ ratio. Mycorrhization mediated significant improvement in Si uptake and as a result, Si supplementation along with mycorrhization reduced Na⁺ content significantly, improved growth, yield and nutrient uptake, arrested chlorophyll pigment damage and increased RUBISCO activity. HC 3 was more responsive to mycorrhization and Si nutrition than CSG 9505. The study will contribute to our understanding of Si and/or AM mediated salinity tolerance mechanism for developing chickpea genotypes resistance to salt stress.