Effect of Super Absorbent Polymer and Soil Texture Affecting the Physiological Response of Maize (Zea mays L.) under Water Deficit Stress
Subject Areas : Journal of Crop EcophysiologyAlireza Moeini 1 , Ali Neshat 2 , Najme Yazdanpanah 3 , Amin Pasandi Pour 4
1 - Department of Water Engineering, Islamic Azad University, Kerman, Iran
2 - Department of Water Engineering, Islamic Azad University, Kerman, Iran
3 - Department of Water Engineering, Islamic Azad University, Kerman, Iran
4 - Department of Plant Genetics and Production Engineering, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Iran
Keywords: Proline, Relative water content, dry matter, antioxidant activity, Net photosynthesis rat,
Abstract :
In order to evaluate the role of super absorbent polymer (SAP) for mitigating the water deficit stress at sandy and clay-loam soils, the effect of five values of SAP (0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.8 g.kg-1 soil), three water treatment (the relative soil water content of 80, 60, and 40%) and two soil textures (sandy and clay-loam) on biomass production, photosynthetic pigments, leaf gas exchange parameters, leaf relative water content (RWC), electrolyte leakage (REC), proline content, catalase, super oxide dismutase, and ascorbate peroxidase activity. The experiment was carried out with a factorial arrangement based on complete randomized design in triplicates at the Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, Kerman, Iran. The results revealed that water deficit stress caused a significant decrease in net photosynthesis rate, leaf stomatal conductance, chlorophyll a+b content, RWC, plant height, and dry matter production of maize. CAT, SOD, APX activity, REC, and proline were elevated with increasing water deficit stress levels. Application of SAP under water deficit stress increased the net photosynthesis (32.3%), stomatal conductance (38%), chlorophyll a+b (23.9%), RWC (11.9%), and dry matter production (24%), while it decreased REC (10.8%), proline content (66.9%), CAT (42.7%), SOD (33.2%), and APX activity (34.3%) as compared to control. It can be concluded that application of SAP (0.8 g.kg-1 soil) improved plant growth of maize under water deficit stress through increasing the water holding capacity in soil.
Abobatta, W. 2018. Impact of hydrogel polymer in agricultural sector. Advances in Agriculture and Environmental Science. 1: 59-64.
Ahmad, P., S. Jamsheed, A. Hameed, S. Rasool, I. Sharma, M. Azooz, and M. Hasanuzzaman. 2014. Chapter 11 - drought stress induced oxidative damage and antioxidants in plants. Oxidative Damage Plants.154: 345–367.
Bates, L.S., S.P. Waldern, and I.D. Teare. 1973. Rapid determination of free proline for water-stress studies. Plant and Soil. 39: 205-207.
Bhusal, N., S.G. Han, and T.M. Yoon. 2019. Impact of drought stress on photosynthetic response, leaf water potential, and stem sap flow in two cultivars of bi-leader apple trees (Malus × domestica Borkh.). Scientia Horticulturae. 246: 535–543.
Buckley, T.N., and K.A. Mott. 2013. Modelling stomatal conductance in response to environmental factors. Plant, Cell and Environment. 36: 1691–1699.
Buezo, J., A. Sanz-Saez, J.F. Moran, D. Soba, I. Aranjuelo, and R. Esteban. 2019. Drought tolerance response of high-yielding soybean varieties to mild drought: physiological and photochemical adjustments. Physiolgia Plantarum. 166: 88–104.
Cai, F., Y. Zhang, N. Mi, H. Ming, S. Zhang, H. Zhang, and X. Zhao. 2020. Maize (Zea mays ) physiological responses to drought and rewatering, and the associations with water stress degree. Agricultural Water Management. 241: 106379.
Cai, Y., J. Wang, S. Li, L. Zhang, L. Peng, W. Xie, and F. Liu. 2015. Photosynthetic response of an alpine plant, rhododendron delavayi franch, to water stress and recovery: the role of mesophyll conductance. Front Plant Science. 6: 1089.
Cairns, J.E., J. Hellin, K. Sonder, J. Araus, J. MacRobert, C. Thierfelder, and B. Prasanna. 2013. Adapting maize production to climate change in sub-Saharan Africa. Food Security. 5(3): 1-16.
Chen, S., P. Hawighorst, J. Sun, and A. Polle. 2014. Salt tolerance in populus: significance of stress signaling networks, mycorrhization, and soil amendments for cellular and whole-plant nutrition. Environmental and Experimental Botany. 107: 113-124.
Daryanto, S., L. Wang, and P.A. Jacinthe. 2016. Global synthesis of drought effects on maize and wheat production. Plos One. 11: 1-15.
Dhindsa, R.S., P. Plump-Dhindsa, and T.A. Thrope. 1981. Leaf senescence: correlated with increased levels of membrane permeability and lipid peroxidation, and decreased levels of superoxide dismutase and catalase. Journal of Experimental Botany. 32: 93-101.
Djaman, K., S. Irmak, W.R. Rathje, D.L. Martin, and D.E. Eisenhauer. 2013. Maize evapotranspiration, yield production functions, biomass, grain yield, harvest index, and yield response factors under full and limited irrigation. Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications. 56: 373–393.
Dong, S., Y. Jiang, Y. Dong, L. Wang, W. Wang, Z. Ma, C. Yan, C. Ma, and L. Liu. 2019. A study on soybean responses to drought stress and rehydration. Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences. 26: 2006–2017.
Dorraji, S.S., A. Golchin, and S. Ahmadi. 2010. The effects of hydrophilic polymer and soil salinity on corn growth in sandy and loamy soils. Clean Soil Air Water. 38(7): 584-591.
Dutta, T., N.R.R. Neelapu, S.H. Wani, and C. Surekha. 2019. Chapter 30- Role and regulation of osmolytes as signaling molecules to abiotic stress tolerance. Plant Signaling Molecules. 459-477.
El-Hendawy, S., N. Al-Suhaibani, S. Elsayed, W. Hassan, Y. Dewir, Y. Refay, and K. Abdella. 2019. Potential of the existing and novel spectral reflectance indices for estimating the leaf water status and grain yield of spring wheat exposed to different irrigation rates. Agricultural Water Management. 217: 356–373.
Eneji, A.E., R. Islam, P. An, and U.C. Amalua. 2013. Nitrate retention and physiological adjustment of maize to soil amendment with super absorbent polymers. Journal of Cleaner Production. 52: 474-480.
Esteban, R., O. Barrutia, U. Artetxe, B. Fernandez-Marin, A. Hernandez, and J.I. Garcia- Plazaola. 2015. Internal and external factors affecting photosynthetic pigment composition in plants: a meta-analytical approach. New Phytologist. 206: 268–280.
Farahbakhsh, H., A. Pasandi Pour, and N. Reiahi. 2017. Physiological response of henna (Lawsonia inermise) to salicylic acid and salinity. Plant Production Science. 20: 237-247.
Farooq, M.A., A.K. Niazi, J. Akhtar, Saifullah, M. Farooq, Z. Souri, N. Karimi, and Z. Rengel. 2019. Acquiring control: the evolution of ROS-induced oxidative stress and redox signaling pathways in plant stress responses. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry. 141: 353–369.
Fazeli Rostampour, M., M. Yarnia, R. Farokhzadeh Khoee, M.J. Seghatoleslami, and G.R. Moosavi. 2013. Physiological response of forage sorghum to polymer under water deficit conditions. Agronomy Journal. 105(4): 951-959.
Feng, D., B. Bai, C. Ding, H. Wang, and Y. Suo. 2014. Synthesis and swelling behaviors of yeast-g-poly (acrylic acid) superabsorbent co-polymer. Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research. 53(32): 12760–12769.
Galeş, D.C., L.C. Trincă, A. Cazacu, C.A. Peptu, and G. Jităreanu. 2016. Effects of a hydrogel on the cambic chernozem soil's hydrophysic indicators and plant morphophysiological parameters. 267: 102–111.
Giannopolitis, C.N., and S.K. Ries. 1977. Superoxide dismutase. I: Occurrence in higher plant. Plant Physiology. 59: 309-314.
Gill, S.S., N.A. Khan, N.A. Anjum, and N. Tuteja. 2011. Amelioration of cadmium stress in crop plants by nutrients management: morphological, physiological and biochemical aspects. Plant Stress. 5: 1-23.
Hong-Bo, S., C. Li-Ye, A.j. Cheruth, and Z. Chang-Xing. 2008. Water deficit stress induced anatomical changes in higher plants. Comptes Rendus Biologies. 331: 215-225.
Iqbal, H., C. Yaning, M. Waqas, M. Shareef, and S.T. Raza. 2018. Differential response of quinoa genotypes to drought and foliage-applied H2O2 in relation to oxidative damage, osmotic adjustment and antioxidant capacity. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. 164: 344-354.
Ismail, H., M. Irani, and Z. Ahmad. 2013. Starch-based hydrogels: present status and applications. International Journal of Polymeric Materials and Polymeric Biomaterials. 62(7): 411–420.
Junttila, S., J. Sugano, M. Vastaranta, R. Linnakoski, H. Kaartinen, A. Kukko, M. Holopainen, H. Hyyppa, and J. Hyyppa. 2018. Can leaf water content be estimated using multispectral terrestrial laser scanning? a case study with Norway spruce seedlings. Frontiers in Plant Science. 9: 299.
Kapoor, D., S. Singh, V. Kumar, R. Romero, R. Prasad, and J. Singh. 2019. Antioxidant enzymes regulation in plants in reference to reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS). Plant Gene. 19: 100182.
Khadem, S.A., M. Galavi, M. Ramordi, S.R. Mousavi, M.J. Rousta, and P. Rezvani- Moghadam. 2010. Effect of animal manure and superabsorbent polymer on corn leaf relative water content, cell membrane stability and leaf chlorophyll content under dry condition. Australian Journal of Crop Science. 4(8): 642-647.
Li, Y., H. Song, L. Zhou, Z. Xu, and G. Zhou. 2019 a. Vertical distributions of chlorophyll and nitrogen and their associations with photosynthesis under drought and rewatering regimes in a maize field. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology. 272–273: 40–54.
Li, Y., H. Song, L. Zhou, Z. Xu, and G. Zhou. 2019b. Tracking chlorophyll fluorescence as an indicator of drought and rewatering across the entire leaf lifespan in a maize field. Agricultural Water Management. 211: 190–201.
Liang, J., W. Shi, Z. He, L. Pang, and Y. Zhang. 2019. Effects of poly-γ-glutamic acid on water use efficiency, cotton yield, and fiber quality in the sandy soil of southern Xinjiang, China. Agricultural Water Management. 218: 48-59.
Lichtenthaler, H.K. 1987. Chlorophlls and carotenoids: Pigments of photosynthetic bio membranes. Methods in Enzymology. 148: 350–382.
Liu, S., Y. Peng, W. Du, Y. Le, and L. Li. 2015. Remote estimation of leaf and canopy water content in winter wheat with different vertical distribution of water-related properties. Remote Sensing. 7(4): 4626–4650.
Mao, S., M.R. Islam, Y. Hu, X. Qian, F. Chen, and X. Xue. 2011. Antioxidant enzyme activities and lipid peroxidation in maize (Zea mays) following soil application of superabsorbent polymer at different fertilizer regimes. African Journal of Biotechnology. 10: 1000-1008.
Mazloom, N., R. Khorassani, G.H. Zohury, H. Emami, and J. Whalen. 2020. Lignin-based hydrogel alleviates drought stress in maize. Environmental and Experimental Botany. 175: 104055.
Mishra, N.P., R.K. Mishra, and G.S. Singhal. 1993. Change in the activities of anti-oxidant enzymes during exposure of intact wheat leaves to strong visible light at different temperatures in the presence of protein synthesis inhibitors. Plant Physiology. 102: 903-910.
Montesano, F.F., A. Parente, P. Santamaria, A. Sannino, and F. Serio. 2015. Biodegradable superabsorbent hydrogel increases water retention properties of growing media and plant growth. Agriculture and Agricultural Science Procedia. 4:451–458.
Moslemi, Z., D. Habibi, A. Asgharzadeh, M.R. Ardakani, A. Mohammadi, and M. Mohammadi. 2011. Response of phytohormones and biochemical markers of maize to super-absorbent polymer and plant growth promoting rhizobacteria under drought stress. American-Eurasian Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. 10(5): 787-796.
Nakano, Y., and K. Asada. 1981. Hydrogen peroxide is scavenged by ascorbate-specific peroxidase in spinach chloroplasts. Plant and Cell Physiology. 22: 867-880.
Nazarli, H., M.R. Zardashti, R. Darvishzadeh, and S. Najafi. 2010. The effect of water stress and polymer on water use efficiency, yield and several morphological traits of sunflower under greenhouse condition. Notulae Scientia Biologicae. 2(4): 53–58.
Orikiriza, L.J., H. Agaba, G. Eilu, J.D. Kabasa, M. Worbes, and A. Hüttermann. 2013. Effects of hydrogels on tree seedling performance in temperate soils before and after water stress. Journal of Environmental Protection. 4 (7): 713–721.
Saha, A., B. Rattan, S. Sreedeep, and U. Manna. 2020. Effect of water absorbing polymer amendment on water retention properties of cohesionless soil. Advances in Computer Methods and Geomechanics. 269: 185–195.
Sayyari, M., and F. Ghanbari. 2012. Effects of super absorbent polymer A200 on the growth, yield and some physiological responses in sweet pepper (Capsicum Annuum) under various irrigation regimes. International Journal of Agricultural and Food Research. 1(1): 1-11.
Song, H., Y. Li, L. Zhou, Z. Xu, and G. Zhou. 2018. Maize leaf functional responses to drought episode and rewatering. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology. 249: 57–70.
Sreenivasulu, N., B. Grimm, U. Wobus, and W. Weschke. 2000. Differential response of antioxidant compounds to salinity stress in salt tolerant and salt sensitive seedlings of foxtail millet (Setaria italica). Physiolgia Plantarum. 109: 435–442.
Yang, Y., Z. Tong, Y. Geng, Y. Li, and M. Zhang. 2013. Biobased polymer composites derived from corn stover and feather meals as double-coating materials for controlled-release and water-retention urea fertilizers. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 61: 8166-8174.
Zhang, J., J. Liu, C. Yang, S. Du, and W. Yang. 2016. Photosynthetic performance of soybean plants to water deficit under high and low light intensity. South African Journal of Botany. 105: 279–287.
Zhang, S., G. Zhang, S. Gu, J. Xia, and J. Zhao. 2010. Critical responses of photosynthetic efficiency of goldspur apple tree to soil water variation in semiarid loess hilly area. Photosynthetica. 48(4): 589–595.
_||_Abobatta, W. 2018. Impact of hydrogel polymer in agricultural sector. Advances in Agriculture and Environmental Science. 1: 59-64.
Ahmad, P., S. Jamsheed, A. Hameed, S. Rasool, I. Sharma, M. Azooz, and M. Hasanuzzaman. 2014. Chapter 11 - drought stress induced oxidative damage and antioxidants in plants. Oxidative Damage Plants.154: 345–367.
Bates, L.S., S.P. Waldern, and I.D. Teare. 1973. Rapid determination of free proline for water-stress studies. Plant and Soil. 39: 205-207.
Bhusal, N., S.G. Han, and T.M. Yoon. 2019. Impact of drought stress on photosynthetic response, leaf water potential, and stem sap flow in two cultivars of bi-leader apple trees (Malus × domestica Borkh.). Scientia Horticulturae. 246: 535–543.
Buckley, T.N., and K.A. Mott. 2013. Modelling stomatal conductance in response to environmental factors. Plant, Cell and Environment. 36: 1691–1699.
Buezo, J., A. Sanz-Saez, J.F. Moran, D. Soba, I. Aranjuelo, and R. Esteban. 2019. Drought tolerance response of high-yielding soybean varieties to mild drought: physiological and photochemical adjustments. Physiolgia Plantarum. 166: 88–104.
Cai, F., Y. Zhang, N. Mi, H. Ming, S. Zhang, H. Zhang, and X. Zhao. 2020. Maize (Zea mays ) physiological responses to drought and rewatering, and the associations with water stress degree. Agricultural Water Management. 241: 106379.
Cai, Y., J. Wang, S. Li, L. Zhang, L. Peng, W. Xie, and F. Liu. 2015. Photosynthetic response of an alpine plant, rhododendron delavayi franch, to water stress and recovery: the role of mesophyll conductance. Front Plant Science. 6: 1089.
Cairns, J.E., J. Hellin, K. Sonder, J. Araus, J. MacRobert, C. Thierfelder, and B. Prasanna. 2013. Adapting maize production to climate change in sub-Saharan Africa. Food Security. 5(3): 1-16.
Chen, S., P. Hawighorst, J. Sun, and A. Polle. 2014. Salt tolerance in populus: significance of stress signaling networks, mycorrhization, and soil amendments for cellular and whole-plant nutrition. Environmental and Experimental Botany. 107: 113-124.
Daryanto, S., L. Wang, and P.A. Jacinthe. 2016. Global synthesis of drought effects on maize and wheat production. Plos One. 11: 1-15.
Dhindsa, R.S., P. Plump-Dhindsa, and T.A. Thrope. 1981. Leaf senescence: correlated with increased levels of membrane permeability and lipid peroxidation, and decreased levels of superoxide dismutase and catalase. Journal of Experimental Botany. 32: 93-101.
Djaman, K., S. Irmak, W.R. Rathje, D.L. Martin, and D.E. Eisenhauer. 2013. Maize evapotranspiration, yield production functions, biomass, grain yield, harvest index, and yield response factors under full and limited irrigation. Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications. 56: 373–393.
Dong, S., Y. Jiang, Y. Dong, L. Wang, W. Wang, Z. Ma, C. Yan, C. Ma, and L. Liu. 2019. A study on soybean responses to drought stress and rehydration. Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences. 26: 2006–2017.
Dorraji, S.S., A. Golchin, and S. Ahmadi. 2010. The effects of hydrophilic polymer and soil salinity on corn growth in sandy and loamy soils. Clean Soil Air Water. 38(7): 584-591.
Dutta, T., N.R.R. Neelapu, S.H. Wani, and C. Surekha. 2019. Chapter 30- Role and regulation of osmolytes as signaling molecules to abiotic stress tolerance. Plant Signaling Molecules. 459-477.
El-Hendawy, S., N. Al-Suhaibani, S. Elsayed, W. Hassan, Y. Dewir, Y. Refay, and K. Abdella. 2019. Potential of the existing and novel spectral reflectance indices for estimating the leaf water status and grain yield of spring wheat exposed to different irrigation rates. Agricultural Water Management. 217: 356–373.
Eneji, A.E., R. Islam, P. An, and U.C. Amalua. 2013. Nitrate retention and physiological adjustment of maize to soil amendment with super absorbent polymers. Journal of Cleaner Production. 52: 474-480.
Esteban, R., O. Barrutia, U. Artetxe, B. Fernandez-Marin, A. Hernandez, and J.I. Garcia- Plazaola. 2015. Internal and external factors affecting photosynthetic pigment composition in plants: a meta-analytical approach. New Phytologist. 206: 268–280.
Farahbakhsh, H., A. Pasandi Pour, and N. Reiahi. 2017. Physiological response of henna (Lawsonia inermise) to salicylic acid and salinity. Plant Production Science. 20: 237-247.
Farooq, M.A., A.K. Niazi, J. Akhtar, Saifullah, M. Farooq, Z. Souri, N. Karimi, and Z. Rengel. 2019. Acquiring control: the evolution of ROS-induced oxidative stress and redox signaling pathways in plant stress responses. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry. 141: 353–369.
Fazeli Rostampour, M., M. Yarnia, R. Farokhzadeh Khoee, M.J. Seghatoleslami, and G.R. Moosavi. 2013. Physiological response of forage sorghum to polymer under water deficit conditions. Agronomy Journal. 105(4): 951-959.
Feng, D., B. Bai, C. Ding, H. Wang, and Y. Suo. 2014. Synthesis and swelling behaviors of yeast-g-poly (acrylic acid) superabsorbent co-polymer. Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research. 53(32): 12760–12769.
Galeş, D.C., L.C. Trincă, A. Cazacu, C.A. Peptu, and G. Jităreanu. 2016. Effects of a hydrogel on the cambic chernozem soil's hydrophysic indicators and plant morphophysiological parameters. 267: 102–111.
Giannopolitis, C.N., and S.K. Ries. 1977. Superoxide dismutase. I: Occurrence in higher plant. Plant Physiology. 59: 309-314.
Gill, S.S., N.A. Khan, N.A. Anjum, and N. Tuteja. 2011. Amelioration of cadmium stress in crop plants by nutrients management: morphological, physiological and biochemical aspects. Plant Stress. 5: 1-23.
Hong-Bo, S., C. Li-Ye, A.j. Cheruth, and Z. Chang-Xing. 2008. Water deficit stress induced anatomical changes in higher plants. Comptes Rendus Biologies. 331: 215-225.
Iqbal, H., C. Yaning, M. Waqas, M. Shareef, and S.T. Raza. 2018. Differential response of quinoa genotypes to drought and foliage-applied H2O2 in relation to oxidative damage, osmotic adjustment and antioxidant capacity. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. 164: 344-354.
Ismail, H., M. Irani, and Z. Ahmad. 2013. Starch-based hydrogels: present status and applications. International Journal of Polymeric Materials and Polymeric Biomaterials. 62(7): 411–420.
Junttila, S., J. Sugano, M. Vastaranta, R. Linnakoski, H. Kaartinen, A. Kukko, M. Holopainen, H. Hyyppa, and J. Hyyppa. 2018. Can leaf water content be estimated using multispectral terrestrial laser scanning? a case study with Norway spruce seedlings. Frontiers in Plant Science. 9: 299.
Kapoor, D., S. Singh, V. Kumar, R. Romero, R. Prasad, and J. Singh. 2019. Antioxidant enzymes regulation in plants in reference to reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS). Plant Gene. 19: 100182.
Khadem, S.A., M. Galavi, M. Ramordi, S.R. Mousavi, M.J. Rousta, and P. Rezvani- Moghadam. 2010. Effect of animal manure and superabsorbent polymer on corn leaf relative water content, cell membrane stability and leaf chlorophyll content under dry condition. Australian Journal of Crop Science. 4(8): 642-647.
Li, Y., H. Song, L. Zhou, Z. Xu, and G. Zhou. 2019 a. Vertical distributions of chlorophyll and nitrogen and their associations with photosynthesis under drought and rewatering regimes in a maize field. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology. 272–273: 40–54.
Li, Y., H. Song, L. Zhou, Z. Xu, and G. Zhou. 2019b. Tracking chlorophyll fluorescence as an indicator of drought and rewatering across the entire leaf lifespan in a maize field. Agricultural Water Management. 211: 190–201.
Liang, J., W. Shi, Z. He, L. Pang, and Y. Zhang. 2019. Effects of poly-γ-glutamic acid on water use efficiency, cotton yield, and fiber quality in the sandy soil of southern Xinjiang, China. Agricultural Water Management. 218: 48-59.
Lichtenthaler, H.K. 1987. Chlorophlls and carotenoids: Pigments of photosynthetic bio membranes. Methods in Enzymology. 148: 350–382.
Liu, S., Y. Peng, W. Du, Y. Le, and L. Li. 2015. Remote estimation of leaf and canopy water content in winter wheat with different vertical distribution of water-related properties. Remote Sensing. 7(4): 4626–4650.
Mao, S., M.R. Islam, Y. Hu, X. Qian, F. Chen, and X. Xue. 2011. Antioxidant enzyme activities and lipid peroxidation in maize (Zea mays) following soil application of superabsorbent polymer at different fertilizer regimes. African Journal of Biotechnology. 10: 1000-1008.
Mazloom, N., R. Khorassani, G.H. Zohury, H. Emami, and J. Whalen. 2020. Lignin-based hydrogel alleviates drought stress in maize. Environmental and Experimental Botany. 175: 104055.
Mishra, N.P., R.K. Mishra, and G.S. Singhal. 1993. Change in the activities of anti-oxidant enzymes during exposure of intact wheat leaves to strong visible light at different temperatures in the presence of protein synthesis inhibitors. Plant Physiology. 102: 903-910.
Montesano, F.F., A. Parente, P. Santamaria, A. Sannino, and F. Serio. 2015. Biodegradable superabsorbent hydrogel increases water retention properties of growing media and plant growth. Agriculture and Agricultural Science Procedia. 4:451–458.
Moslemi, Z., D. Habibi, A. Asgharzadeh, M.R. Ardakani, A. Mohammadi, and M. Mohammadi. 2011. Response of phytohormones and biochemical markers of maize to super-absorbent polymer and plant growth promoting rhizobacteria under drought stress. American-Eurasian Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. 10(5): 787-796.
Nakano, Y., and K. Asada. 1981. Hydrogen peroxide is scavenged by ascorbate-specific peroxidase in spinach chloroplasts. Plant and Cell Physiology. 22: 867-880.
Nazarli, H., M.R. Zardashti, R. Darvishzadeh, and S. Najafi. 2010. The effect of water stress and polymer on water use efficiency, yield and several morphological traits of sunflower under greenhouse condition. Notulae Scientia Biologicae. 2(4): 53–58.
Orikiriza, L.J., H. Agaba, G. Eilu, J.D. Kabasa, M. Worbes, and A. Hüttermann. 2013. Effects of hydrogels on tree seedling performance in temperate soils before and after water stress. Journal of Environmental Protection. 4 (7): 713–721.
Saha, A., B. Rattan, S. Sreedeep, and U. Manna. 2020. Effect of water absorbing polymer amendment on water retention properties of cohesionless soil. Advances in Computer Methods and Geomechanics. 269: 185–195.
Sayyari, M., and F. Ghanbari. 2012. Effects of super absorbent polymer A200 on the growth, yield and some physiological responses in sweet pepper (Capsicum Annuum) under various irrigation regimes. International Journal of Agricultural and Food Research. 1(1): 1-11.
Song, H., Y. Li, L. Zhou, Z. Xu, and G. Zhou. 2018. Maize leaf functional responses to drought episode and rewatering. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology. 249: 57–70.
Sreenivasulu, N., B. Grimm, U. Wobus, and W. Weschke. 2000. Differential response of antioxidant compounds to salinity stress in salt tolerant and salt sensitive seedlings of foxtail millet (Setaria italica). Physiolgia Plantarum. 109: 435–442.
Yang, Y., Z. Tong, Y. Geng, Y. Li, and M. Zhang. 2013. Biobased polymer composites derived from corn stover and feather meals as double-coating materials for controlled-release and water-retention urea fertilizers. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 61: 8166-8174.
Zhang, J., J. Liu, C. Yang, S. Du, and W. Yang. 2016. Photosynthetic performance of soybean plants to water deficit under high and low light intensity. South African Journal of Botany. 105: 279–287.
Zhang, S., G. Zhang, S. Gu, J. Xia, and J. Zhao. 2010. Critical responses of photosynthetic efficiency of goldspur apple tree to soil water variation in semiarid loess hilly area. Photosynthetica. 48(4): 589–595.