Table 4.
Plant physiological parameters of maize cultivars NK-8441, P-1543, NK-8711, and FH-985 with the application of biochar in tannery polluted Kasur and Sialkot soils.
| Soil | Biochar | Maize Variety | SPAD Chlorophyll | Chlorophyll a |
Chlorophyll b |
Total Carotenoids | Photosynthetic Rate | Transpiration Rate | Stomatal Conductance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (mg cm−2) | (mg g−1) | (mg g−1) | (mg g−1) | (µmol m−2 s−1) | (mmol m−2 s−1) | (mmol m−2 s−1) | |||
| K soil |
0% | NK-8441 | 30.1 ± 0.61 de | 0.54 ± 0.02 d–f | 0.44 ± 0.01 d–f | 0.65 ± 0.02 cd | 17.2 ± 0.41 de | 2.90 ± 0.06 d | 149 ± 3.15 de |
| P-1543 | 34.0 ± 0.83 bc | 0.63 ± 0.02 bc | 0.52 ± 0.01 bc | 0.77 ± 0.02 b | 19.8 ± 0.55 bc | 3.37 ± 0.09 c | 178 ± 4.99 bc | ||
| NK-8711 | 26.0 ± 0.67 fg | 0.44 ± 0.02 gh | 0.36 ± 0.01 g | 0.54 ± 0.02 e | 14.5 ± 0.47 f | 2.40 ± 0.06 e | 125 ± 4.67 fg | ||
| FH-985 | 21.7 ± 0.56 hi | 0.35 ± 0.02 i-k | 0.29 ± 0.01 hi | 0.43 ± 0.02 fg | 11.9 ± 0.36 gh | 2.00 ± 0.06 f | 102 ± 3.07 h–j | ||
| 3% | NK-8441 | 37.0 ± 0.79 b | 0.66 ± 0.02 b | 0.54 ± 0.02 b | 0.78 ± 0.02 b | 21.1 ± 0.41 b | 3.73 ± 0.09 b | 183 ± 3.72 b | |
| P-1543 | 41.4 ± 0.97 a | 0.77 ± 0.02 a | 0.63 ± 0.02 a | 0.92 ± 0.02 a | 23.9 ± 0.61 a | 4.20 ± 0.12 a | 212 ± 5.31 a | ||
| NK-8711 | 33.0 ± 0.84 cd | 0.57 ± 0.02 cd | 0.46 ± 0.01 cd | 0.67 ± 0.02 c | 18.2 ± 0.55 cd | 3.23 ± 0.07 c | 163 ± 4.42 cd | ||
| FH-985 | 28.5 ± 0.72 ef | 0.47 ± 0.02 e-g | 0.39 ± 0.01 e–g | 0.56 ± 0.02 de | 15.4 ± 0.38 ef | 2.63 ± 0.09 de | 141 ± 3.78 ef | ||
| S soil |
0% | NK-8441 | 17.7 ± 0.61 jk | 0.33 ± 0.02 Jk | 0.27 ± 0.01 ij | 0.38 ± 0.02 gh | 10.4 ± 0.30 hi | 1.83 ± 0.07 f | 86 ± 3.69 jk |
| P-1543 | 22.0 ± 0.83 hi | 0.43 ± 0.02 g–i | 0.35 ± 0.02 gh | 0.50 ± 0.02 ef | 13.2 ± 0.32 fg | 2.40 ± 0.06 e | 108 ± 3.85 g–i | ||
| NK-8711 | 13.8 ± 0.59 l | 0.23 ± 0.01 l | 0.19 ± 0.01 k | 0.27 ± 0.02 i | 8.0 ± 0.43 j | 1.37 ± 0.07 g | 66 ± 3.09 k | ||
| FH-985 | 8.5 ± 0.42 m | 0.14 ± 0.01 m | 0.12 ± 0.01 l | 0.18 ± 0.01 j | 5.5 ± 0.42 k | 0.93 ± 0.07 h | 44 ± 2.09 l | ||
| 3% | NK-8441 | 24.8 ± 0.66 gh | 0.46 ± 0.02 fg | 0.37 ± 0.01 fg | 0.54 ± 0.02 e | 14.4 ± 0.25 f | 2.43 ± 0.09 e | 120 ± 2.89 gh | |
| P-1543 | 28.7 ± 0.82 ef | 0.56 ± 0.02 c–e | 0.45 ± 0.02 de | 0.65 ± 0.02 cd | 17.1 ± 0.69 de | 2.87 ± 0.07 d | 143 ± 5.01 d–f | ||
| NK-8711 | 20.0 ± 0.62 ij | 0.36 ± 0.02 h–j | 0.29 ± 0.01 hi | 0.42 ± 0.02 fg | 11.5 ± 0.47 gh | 1.93 ± 0.09 f | 100 ± 3.58 ij | ||
| FH-985 | 16.1 ± 0.31 kl | 0.27 ± 0.01 kl | 0.21 ± 0.01 jk | 0.32 ± 0.02 hi | 9.0 ± 0.33 ij | 1.47 ± 0.09 g | 77 ± 2.44 k |
The values are mean ± S.E. (n = 3). Mean values with different alphabetical letters are significantly different (p < 0.05) according to Tukey’s HSD test; K: Kasur soil; S: Sialkot soil.