Effects of Nano Silica and Salicylic Acid on Yield and Yield Components in Corn (Zea mays L.)-Mungbean (Vigna radiata L.) Monocropping and Intercropping under Drought Stress Conditions

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

• S Afzali ¹
• S. M. B Hosseini ²
• L Ma'mani ³
• A Ahmadi ²

¹ Ph. D. Student of Crop Ecology, Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Engineering, Agriculture and Natural Resources Campus, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran

² Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Engineering, Agriculture and Natural Resources Campus, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran

³ Department of Nanotechnology, Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute of Iran (ABRII), Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran

10.22067/jcesc.2022.78199.1194

Abstract

Introduction
Intercropping is an ecological crop management method in which at least two plant species grow simultaneously on a field. Increased land productivity in intercropping of cereals and legumes is mainly due to the positive interaction between cereals and legumes in the rhizosphere, which increases the efficiency of soil resource utilization, especially nitrogen (N). Mixed cultivation of legumes with cereals provides higher land use efficiency, lower water consumption, and greater environmental benefits than cereal monocultures. Salicylic acid (SA) is a natural plant hormone that affects various physiological and biochemical functions in plants, because it can act as a regulatory and mediating signal in the plant's response to abiotic stresses such as drought. In recent years, nanotechnology has also been introduced into agriculture, and several benefits of nanoparticle applications such as nano-silica (nSiO₂) have been reported that can be used to increase the supply of nutrients to agricultural products. The aim of this study was to determine the possible role of growth regulators of salicylic acid and nanosilica particles (nSiO₂) on crop yield in maize and mung bean intercropping under drought stress conditions.
Materials and Methods
The experiment was conducted in 2019-2020 cropping year in the research farm of Agriculture and Natural Resources Campus, the University of Tehran, located in Karaj. The experiment was performed in the form of split- split plots based on a randomized complete block design with three replications. The main plot was drought stress at two levels of full irrigation and cessation of irrigation, the sub plots included different intercropping arrangements of maize and mung bean: (maize monoculture (C₁₀₀), maize 80: mung bean 40 (C₈₀:M₄₀), maize 80: mung bean 60 (C₈₀:M₆₀), maize 50: mung bean 50 (C₅₀:M₅₀) and mung bean monoculture (M₁₀₀) and the sub-sub plots were four treatments of silica nanoparticles +salicylic acid, silica nanoparticles, commercial salicylic acid and control. Statistical calculations were performed by SAS 9.2 and Excel software in this study. The mean comparison was performed by LSD test and the probability level was considered 95% in all analyzes.
Results and Discussion
The results showed that the highest maize grain yield was obtained in the monoculture treatment, Si + Sa combined fertilizer and full irrigation, which was 179% higher than the lowest treatment (C₅₀:M₅₀ intercropping, control and drought stress). The highest biological yield of maize was obtained in the complete irrigation and Si + Sa fertilizer treatment under monoculture conditions. The lowest value of this index was observed in the treatments of drought stress, control without fertilizer and C₅₀:M₅₀ intercropping conditions. The highest yield of mung bean seeds was obtained in monoculture of mung bean, application of Si + Sa fertilizer and complete irrigation. The highest biological yield belonged to mung bean monoculture treatment, nano Si + Sa compound fertilizer and complete irrigation. The lowest was obtained in C₅₀:M₅₀ and C₈₀:M₆₀ intercropping treatments, non- fertilizer application and drought stress. Also, the highest land equivalent ratio was obtained in full irrigation and C80M60 intercropping and nano Si + Sa fertilizer treatment (1.57).
Conclusion
In general, the results of this study showed that, drought stress reduced all the studied traits. While intercropping with increasing diversity had a significant effect on important agronomic traits under both optimal irrigation and drought stress conditions. LER values were more than one in intercropping crops that indicated higher ground productivity in these planting patterns than in monoculture of crops. The highest LER value was obtained in C₈₀:M₆₀ intercropping treatment under non- stress and application of nano Si + Sa. Silica nanoparticles and salicylic acid fertilizers had a positive effect on grain and biological yield of both plants as well as land equivalent ratio and reduce the negative effects of drought stress on plants and can be used as suitable approach to achieve sustainable agriculture goals.

Keywords

• Land equivalent
• Monoculture
• Nanofertilizer
• Planting arrangements
• Sustainable agriculture

20.1001.1.20081472.1402.21.1.7.3

Main Subjects

• Mixed cultivation

---

Open Access

©2022 The author(s). This article is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source.

References

1. Aldesuquy, H. S., Abbas, M. A., Abo-Hamed, A. A., Elhakem, A. H., & Alsokari, S. S. (2012). Glycine betaine and salicylic acid induced modification in productivity of two different cultivars of wheat grown under water stress. Journal of Stress Physiology and Biochemistry, 8, 72-89.
2. Alibakhshi, E., & Mirzakhani, M. (2016). Mixed cropping of legumes and maize by the use of urea. Journal of Crop Ecophysiology, 10(3), 567-583.
3. Alizadeh, A., & Kamali, G. A. (2007). Water Needs of Plants in Iran. Imam Reza Publications, Mashhad, Iran.
4. Allen, R. G., Pereira, L. S., Raes, D., & Smith, M. (1998). Crop evapotranspiration-Guidelines for computing crop water requirements-FAO Irrigation and drainage paper 56. FAO, Rome, 300(9), D05109.
5. Amanullah, R., Khalid, S. H., Khalil, F., Elshikh, M. S., Alwahibi, M. S., Alkahtani, J., Imranuddin, & Imran. (2021). Growth and dry matter partitioning response in cereal‑legume intercropping under full and limited irrigation regimes. Scientific Reports, 11, 12585. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-92022-4
6. Amanullah, R., Lidman, C., Rubin, D., Aldering, G., Astier, P., Barbary, K., Burns, M. S., Conley, A., Dawson, K. S., Deustua, S. E., Doi, M., Fabbro, S., Faccioli, L., Fakhouri, H. K., Folatelli, G., Fruchter, A. S., Furusawa, H., Garavini, G., Goldhaber, G., Goobar, A., Groom, D. E., Hook, I., Howell, D. A., Kashikawa, N., Kim, A. G., Knop, R. A., Kowalski, M., Linder, E., Meyers, J., Morokuma, T., Nobili, S., Nordin, J., Nugent, P. E., Östman, L., Pain, R., Panagia, N., Perlmutter, S., Raux, J., Ruiz-Lapuente, P., Spadafora, A. L., Strovink, M., Suzuki, N., Wang, L., Wood-Vasey, W. M., & Yasudal. N. (2010). Spectra and Hubble Space Telescope light curves of six type Ia supernovae at 0.511< z < 1.12 and the Unioncompilation. Journal of Astrophys, 716, 712.
7. Amiour, N., Imbaud, S., Clement, G., Agier, N., Zivy, M., Valot, B., Balliau, T., Armengaud, P., Quillere, I., Canas, R., Tercet-Laforgue, T., & Hirel, B. (2012). The use of metabolomics integrated with transcriptomic and proteomic studies for identifying key steps involved in the control of nitrogen metabolism in crops such as maize. Journal of Experimental Botany, 63, 5017-33. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/ers186.
8. Amiri Deh Ahmadi, S. R., Parsa, M., & Ganjeali, A. (2010). The effects of drought stress at different phenology stage on morphological traits and yield components of a chickpea (Cicer arietinum) under greenhouse conditions. Iranian Journal of Field Crops Research, 8, 301-317. https://doi.org/10.22067/gsc.v8i1.7406
9. Aqaei, P., Weisany, W., Diyanat, M., Razmi, J., & Struik, P. C. (2020). Response of maize (Zea mays) to potassium nano-silica application under drought stress, Journal of Plant Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1080/01904167.2020.1727508
10. Arouiee, H., Nasseri, M., Neamati, H., & Kafi, M. (2014). Effects of silicon on salinity tolerance in fenugreek (Trigonella foenum- graecum). Agronomy Journal (Pajouhesh & Sazandegi), 104, 165-172.
11. Aziz, A., Abou-Elela, M., Usama El-Razek, A. A., & Khalil, H. E. (2012). Yield and its components of maize/soybean intercropping systems as affected by planting time and distribution. Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 6, 238-245.
12. Banik, P., Midya, A., Sarkar, B. K., & Ghase, S. S. (2006). Wheat and chickpea intercropping systems in additive series experiment: advantages and smothering. Agronomy Journal, 24, 324-332.
13. Bargaz, A., Nasielski, J., Isaac, M. E., Jensen, E. S., & Carlsson, G. (2021). Faba bean variety mixture can modulate faba bean–wheat Intercrop Performance Under Water Limitation. Frontiers in Agronomy, 3, 655973. https://doi.org/10.3389/fagro.2021.655973
14. Barros, T. C., De Mello Prado, R., Garcia Roque, C., Ribeiro Barzotto, G., & Wassolowski, C. R. (2018). Silicon and salicylic acid promote different responses in legume plants. Journal of Plant Nutrition, 41, 2116-2125.
15. Bedoussac, L., Journet, E., Hauggaard-Nielsen, H., Naudin, C., Corre-Hellou, G., Jensen, E. S., Prieur, L., & Justes, E. (2015). Ecological principles underlying the increase of productivity achieved by cereal-grain legume intercrops in organic farming. A review. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 35, 911-935. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-014-0277-7
16. Bukhari, M. A., Ahmad, Z., Ashraf, M. Y., Afzal, M., Nawaz, F., Nafees, M., Jatoi, W. N., Malghani, N. A., Shah, A. N., & Shah, A. (2021). Silicon mitigates drought stress in wheat (Triticum aestivum) through improving photosynthetic pigments, biochemical and yield characters. Silicon, 13, 4757-4772. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12633-020-00797-4
17. Bybee-Finley, K., & Ryan, M. R. (2018). Advancing intercropping research and practices in industrialized agricultural landscapes. Agriculture, 8, 80. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture8060080
18. Daneshman, F., Arvin., M. J., Keramat., B., & Momeni, N. (2012). Interactive effects of salt stress and salicylic acid on germination and plant growth parameters of maize (Zea mays) under field conditions. Plant Process and Function, 1(1), 56-70.
19. Darvizheh, H., Zahedi, M., & Abbaszadeh, B. (2019). Effects of foliar application of salicylic acid and spermine on the growth and root morphological characteristics of purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) under drought stress. Journal of Plant Process and Function, 8(30), 225-242.
20. Eskandari, H., Alizadeh Amrai, A., & Kazemi, K. (2019). The effect of drought stress due to partial root irrigation on water use efficiency and grain yield of corn (Zea mays) and mung bean (Vigna radiate L.) in different intercropping patterns. Environmental Stress in Crop Science, 12(1), 29-40. https:// doi.org/10.22077/escs.2018.1133.1233
21. Eslami Khalili, F., Pirdashti, H., & Motaghian, A. (2011). Evaluation of barley (Hordeum vulgare) and faba bean (Vicia faba L.) yield in different density and mixture intercropping via competition indices. Journal of Agroecology, 25, 94-105.
22. Fallah, S., Kakoulvand, R., & Abasi souraki, A. (2018). Effect of plant competition on yield and yield components of black cumin and fenugreek under drought stress conditions. Journal of Plant Production Science, 25(2), 35-51. https://doi.org/10.22069/jopp.2018.12836.2154
23. Farahbakhsh, H., & Shamsaddin Saiid, M. (2011). Effect of seed priming with NaCl on maize germination under different saline conditions. African Journal of Agricultural Research, 66095-6099.
24. Farnia, A., Noormohammadai, G., Naderi, A., Darvish, F., & Majidi-Hervan, I. (2006). Effect of drought stress and strains of Bradyrhizobium japonicum on grain yield and associated characteristics in soybean in Borujerd. Iranian Journal of Crop Sciences, 8(3), 201-214.
25. Farooq, M., Gogoi, N., Barthakur, S., Baroowa, B., Bharadwaj, N., Alghamdi, S. S., & Siddique, K. H. M. (2017). Drought stress in grain legumes during reproduction and grain Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science, 203, 81-102. https://doi.org/10.1111/jac.12169
26. Ghanbari, A., Ghadiri, H., Ghafari Moghadam, M., & Safari, M. (2010). Study of intercropping of corn (Zea mays) and squash (Cucurbita sp.) and its effect on weed control. Iranian Journal of Field Crop Science, 41(1), 43-55. (in Persian).
27. Gholi Nejad, A., Yadavi, A., Movahhedi Dehnavi, M., & Farajee, H. (2018). The effect of additive intercropping on yield and yield components of sweet corn (Zea maysvar. Saccharata) and mungbean (Vigna radiate L.) and weed biomass. Journal of Agroecology, 10(1), 120-134. https://doi.org/10.22067/jag.v10i1.54036
28. Gliessman, S. R. (1990). Agroecology: Researching the Ecological Basis for Sustainable Agriculture. Springer-Verlag, New York 380 pp.
29. Gomaa, M. A., Kandil, E. E., El-Dein, A. A. M. Z., Abou-Donia, M. E. M., Ali, H. M., & Abdelsalam, N. R. (2021). Increase maize productivity and water use efficiency through application of potassium silicate under water stress. Scientific Reports, 11, 224. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-80656-9
30. Hafez, E. M., Osman, H. S., Gowayed, S. M., Okasha, S. A., Omara, A. E. -D., Sami, R., Abd El-Monem, A. M. & Abd El-Razek, U. A. (2021). Minimizing the adversely impacts of water deficit and soil salinity on maize growth and productivity in response to the application of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria and silica nanoparticles. Agronomy, 11, 676. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11040676
31. Hamd Alla, W. A., Shalaby, E. M., Dawood, R. A., & Zohry, A. A. (2014). Effect of cowpea (Vigna sinensis) with maize (Zea mays L.) intercropping on yield and its components. World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology. International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, 8(11), 1170-1176.
32. Hamzei, J., & Seyedi, M. (2013). Evaluation of barley (Hordeum vulgare) and chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) intercropping systems using advantageous indices of interference conditions. Journal of Agriculture Science, 6, 1-12.
33. Hashemi Dehkourdi, E., Mousavi, M., Moallemi1, N., & Ghafariyan moghareb, M. H. (2017). Effect of nanoparticles of titanium dioxide (anatase) on physiological characteristics of strawberry (Fragaria ananassa v.Queen Elisa) in hydroponic condition. Journal of Plant Process and Function, 5(16), 1-8.
34. Heydari, H., Alizadeh, Y., & Fazeli, A. (2019). Effect of seed pretreatment and foliar application of salicylic acid on some physiological characteristics and yield of mung bean (Vigna radiata) under drought stress conditions. Journal of Plant Producion, 26(2), 127-141. https://doi.org/10.22069/jopp.2019.14863.2327
35. Hu, F., Feng, F., Zhao, C., Chai, Q., Yu, A., Yin, W., & Gan, Y. (2017). Integration of wheat-maize intercropping with conservation practices reduces CO₂ emissions and enhances water use in dry areas. Journal of Soil Tillage Research, 169, 44-53.
36. Janmohammadi, M., Yousefzadeh, S., Dashti, Sh., & Sabaghnia, N. (2017). Effects of exogenous application of nano particles and compatible organic solutes on sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.). Journal of Botanica Serbica, 41(1), 37-46.
37. Javanmard, A., Dabbagh Mohammadi Nasab, A., Javanshir, A., Moghaddam, M., & Janmohammadi, H. (2012). Effects of Maize Intercropping with legumes on forage yield and quality. Sustainable Aagricultural and Production Science, 22(3), 137-149. (in Persian).
38. Jensen, E. S., Carlsson, G., & Hauggaard-Nielsen, H. (2020). Intercropping of grain legumes and cereals improves the use of soil N resources and reduces the requirement for synthetic fertilizer N: a global-scale analysis. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 40, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-020-0607-x
39. Kalantari khandani, A., Kocheki, A. R., & Nasiri Mahalati, M. (2018). Effects of maize-soybean cultivars as replacement series in intercropping on yield and land equivalent ratio. Journal of Applied Crop Research, 31(2), 21-45.
40. Kalteh, M., Alipour, Z. T., Ashraf, S., Aliabadi, M. M., & Nosratabadi, A. F. (2014). Effect of silica nanoparticles on basil (Ocimum basilicum) under salinity stress. Journal of Chemical Health Risks, 4, 49-55.
41. Kamalvandi, S., & Mirshekari, F. (2013). Effect of drought stress on yield and yield components of mung cultivars. Journal of Plant Production Science, 4(2), 14-18.
42. Kaur, S., Gupta, A. K., & Kaur, N. (2005). Seed priming increases crop yield possibly by modulating enzymes of sucrose metabolism in chickpea. Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science, 191, 81-87.
43. Khadim, S. A., Ramroudi, M., Golavi, M., & Rusta, M. J. (2011). The effect of drought stress and different proportions of manure and superabsorbent polymer application on yield and yield components of grain corn (Zea mays). Iranian Journal of Field Crop Science, 42(1), 115-123.
44. Khoramivafa, M., Eftekharinasab, N., Sayyadian, K., & Najaphy, A. (2011). Water use efficiency in medicinal pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo var. styriac)/ chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)- lentil (Lens esculenta Moench.) intercropping system associated with several nitrogen levels. Journal of Agroecology, 3(2), 245-253. (in Persian). https://doi.org/10.22067/jag.v3i2.13533
45. Layek, J., Das, A., Mitran, T., & Nath, C. (2018). Cereal+legume intercropping: an option for improving productivity and sustaining soil health. in Legumes for Soil Health and Sustainable Management (eds. Meena et al.) 347-386 (Springer, 2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0253-4_11
46. Li-li, M., Li-Zhen, Z., Si-ping, Z., Evers, J. B., Vanderwerf, W., Jiug, W. J., Hong-quang, S., Zhi Cheng, S., & Spiertz, H. (2017). Resource use efficiency, ecological intensification and sustainability of intercropping systems. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 14(8), 1542-1550.
47. Lithourgidis, A. S., & Dordas, C. A. (2010). Forage yield, growth rate, and nitrogen uptake of faba bean intercrops with wheat, barley, and rye in three seeding ratios. Crop Science, 50, 2148-2158. https://doi.org/10.2135/cropsci2009.12.0735
48. Lotfi, R., Ghassemi-Golezani, K., & Najafi, N. (2018). Grain filling and yield of mung bean affected by salicylic acid and silicon under salt stress. Journal of Plant Nutrition, https://doi.org/10.1080/01904167.2018.1457686
49. Mabudi Bilesuar, H., & Zehtab Salmasi, S. (2017). Evaluation of yield and advantages of corn (Zea mays) and sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) intercropping. Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Production Science, 27(1), 1-11.
50. Machiani, M. A., Javanmarda, A., Morshedloo, M. A., & Maggi, F. (2018). Evaluation of competition, essential oil quality and quantity of peppermint intercropped with soybean. Industrial Crops and Products, 111, 743-754. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2017.11.052
51. Mahmoodi, K., Alizadeh, Y., Abdul-Hamid, H., & Naji, H. R. (2020). Effect of nano Sio₂ on physiological features of Pistacia atlantica Mutica under drought stress. Journal of Wood and Forest Science and Technology, 26(4), 85-100. https://doi.org/10.22069/jwfst.2020.13986.1715
52. Mazaheri, D., Madani, A., & Oveysi, M. (2006). Assessing the land equivalent ratio (LER) of two corn (Zea mays) varieties intercropping at various nitrogen levels in Karaj, Iran. Central European Agriculture, 7(2), 359-364.
53. Mehrabian moghadam, N., Arvin, M. J., Khajouinejad, G. H., & Maghsoudi, K. (2011). Effect of salicylic acid on growth and forage and grain yield of maize under drought stress in field conditions. Seed and Plant Production, 27(2), 41-55.
54. Miri, H. R., Shokani, M. M., & Armin, M. (2016). Reaction of yield and yield components of maize under relative drought of root and potassium fertilizer. Journal of Agronomy, 111, 35-43.
55. Mohavieh Assadi, N., Bijanzadeh, E., Behpouri, A., & Barati, V. (2020). Effect of relay intercropping of chickpea (Cicer arietinum) with barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) on biochemical traits and yield under late season drought stress. Iranian Journal of Pulses Research, 11(2), 164-182. https://doi.org/10.22067/ijpr.v11i2.78361
56. Mojadam, M., & Modhej, A. (2012). Effect of nitrogen level on water use efficiency yield and yield component of maize in optimum and drought stress conditions. Iranian Journal of Field Crops Research, 10(3), 546-554.
57. Moradi, A., Ahmadi, A., & Hossein Zadeh, A. (2008). Agro-Physiological Responses of Mung Bean (cv. Partov) to Severe and Moderate Drought Stress Applied at Vegetative and Reproductive Growth Stages. Journal of Water and Soil Science, 12(45), 659-671.
58. Naderi, M. R., & Abedi, A. (2012). Application of Nanotechnology in agriculture and refinement of environmental pollutants. Journal of Nanotechnology, 11(1), 18-26. (in Persian).
59. Noryani, H. (2013). Effect of water deficit stress on yield and yield components of mung bean in different planting densities. Crop Physiology Journal, 18, 35-47.
60. Nyawade, S., Gitari, H. I., Karanja, N. N., Gachene, C. K. K., Schulte-Geldermann, E., Sharma, K., & Parker, M. L. (2020). Enhancing Climate Resilience of Rain-Fed Potato Through Legume Intercropping and Silicon Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 4, 566345. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2020.566345
61. Raghara, H., & Mousavi, S. G. H. (2018). The effect of drought stress and application of humic and salicylic acid on physiological traits, yield and yield components of corn (Zea mays). Journal of Plant Environmental Physiology, 13(50), 87-101. (in Persian).
62. Rea, R. S., Islam, M. R., Rahman, M. M., Nath, B., & Mix, K. (2022). Growth, Nutrient Accumulation, and Drought Tolerance in Crop Plants with Silicon Application: A Review. Sustainability, 14, 4525. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14084525
63. Ren, Y., Wang, X., Zhang, S., Palta, J. A., & Chen, Y. (2017). Influence of spatial arrangement in maize-soybean intercropping on root growth and water use efficiency. Plant and Soil, 415, 131-144.
64. Renwick, L. L. R., Kimaro, A. A., Hafner, J. M., Rosenstock, T. S., & Gaudin, A. C. M. (2020). Maize-Pigeonpea Intercropping Outperforms Monocultures Under Drought. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 4, 562663. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2020.562663
65. Sabaghnia, N., Javanmard, A., Janmohammadi, M., & Nouraein, M. (2018). The Influence of nano-TiO₂ and Nano-Silica Particles Effects on Yield and Morphological Traits of Sunflower. Helia Journal, 41(69), 213-225. https://doi.org/10.1515/helia-2018-0010
66. Sadeghipour, A., & Mr, P. (2014). Investigating the effect of drought stress and application of magnetic water on mung bean yield and yield components. Crop Production Research Journal, 6(1), 79-86.
67. Said, T., & Hamd-Alla, W. A. (2018). Impact of Foliar Spraying with Antioxidant and Intercropping Pattern of Maize and Soybean on Yields and its Attributes. Journal of Plant Production 9(12), 1069-1073.
68. Shojaei, H., & Makarian, H. (2015). Effect of nano and non-nano zinc oxide spraying on mung bean (Vigna radiata) yield and yield components under drought stress  condition. Iranian Journal of Field Crops Research, 12(4), 727-737.
69. Shokri, S., Hooshmand, A., Golabi, M., Alemzadeansari, N., & Struve, D. (2022). Effect of sSilica nNanoparticles on Yield of Cucumber (Cucumis sativus) in Ahvaz region. Agricultural Science and Sustainable Production, 32(1), 279-292. (in Persian).
70. Siame, R., Mirshekari, B., Farah Vash, F., Rashidi, V., and Tarinzhad, A. R. (2017). The effect of seed priming with salicylic acid and water deficit tension on enzyme activity and yield of grain corn. Crop Physiology Journal, 9(34): 23-35. (in Persian).
71. Siddiqui, M. H., Al-Whaibi, M. H., Firoz, M., & Al-Khaishany, M. Y. (2015). Role of nanoparticles in plants. In: Siddiqui, M.H., Al-Whaibi, M.H., Mohamed, H., Mohammad, F. (eds) Nanotechnology and Plant Sciences, Springer International Publishing, Berlin, pp. 19-35.
72. Stolz, E., & Nadeau, E. (2014). Effect of intercropping on yield, weed incidence, forage quality and soil residual N inorganically grown forage maize (Zea mays) and faba bean (Vicia faba L.). Field Crops Research, 169, 21-29.
73. Ullah, A., Bakht, J., Shafi, M., & Islam, W. A. (2002). Effect of various irrigation levels on different chickpea varieties. Asian Journal of Plant Science, 4, 355-357.
74. Undie, U. L., Uwah, D. F., & Attoe, E. E. (2012). Effect of intercropping and crop arrangment on yield and productivity of late season maize/soybean mixtures in the humid environment of south southern Nigeria. Journal of Agriculture Science, 4, 37-50.
75. Vaculikova, M., Tandy, M., Vaculik, S., Luxova, M., & Schulin, R. (2016). Alleviation of antimonate (SbV) toxicity in maize by silicon (Si). Environmental and Experimental Botany, 128, 11-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envexpbot.2016.04.001
76. Wang, G. P., Li, F., Zhang, J., Zhao, M. R., Hui, Z., & Wang, W. (2010). Overaccumulation of glycine betaine enhances tolerance of the photosynthetic apparatus to drought and heat stress in Photosynthetica, 48, 30-41.
77. Wani, S. H., Singh, N. B., Haribhushan, A., & Mir, J. I. (2013). Compatible solute engineering in plants for abiotic stress tolerance-role of glycine betaine. Current Genomics, 14: 157-161.
78. Wezel, A., Casagrande, M., Celette, F., Vian, J. F., Ferrer, A., & Peigné, J. (2014). Agroecological practices for sustainable agriculture. A review. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 34, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-013-0180-7
79. Xie, J., Wang, L., Li, L., Anwar, S., Luo, Z., Zechariah, E., & Kwami Fudjoe, S. (2021). Yield, economic benefit, soil water balance, and water use efficiency of intercropped maize/potato in responses to mulching practices on the semiarid loess plateau. Agriculture, 11, 1100. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture11111100
80. Yuvakkumar, R., Elango, V., Rajendran, V., Kannan, N., & Prabu, (2011). Influence of nanosilica powder on the growth of maize crop (Zea Mays L.). International Journal of Green Nanotechnology, 3, 180-190.
81. Zareyi, B., Kiarostami, Kh., Hosseinzadeh Namin, M., & Sorahinobar, M. (2020). Effect of silicon nanoparticles on some physiological parameters of saffron corm (Crocus sativus). Journal of Applied Biology, 33(2), 52-77.
82. Zhang, F. Y., Zhao, P. T. W. X. N., & Cheng, X. F. (2012). Water-saving mechanisms of intercropping system in improving cropland water use efficiency. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology, 23, 1400-1406.
83. Zhao, C., Fan, Z., Coulter, J. A., Yin, W., Hu, F., & Yu, A. (2020). High maize density alleviates the inhibitory effect of soil nitrogen on intercropped pea. Agronomy, 10, 248.
84. Zhu, J. K. (2002). Salt and drought stress signal transduction in plants. Annual Reviews Plant Biology, 53, 247-316.
85. Ziyai, H., Pirdashti, H., Zare, S., & Motaghian, A. (2015). Evaluation of grain yield and competitive indices in intercropping of grain maize (Zea mays) with different bean cultivars (Phaseolus spp.). Journal of Agroecology, 7(1), 52-61.