Application of Biostimulants Ameliorates Terminal Heat Stress in Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.)

Lentil is a second major winter sown legume after chickpea. Due to climate change, lentil crop sustains heat stress at various phases of growth mainly at flowering and pod filling, which causes major yield loss. To reduce the adverse effects of terminal heat stress, a pot experiment was carried out in Pusa (Samastipur), Bihar during 2021-22 with the objective to study the response of biostimulants on antioxidant system and yield of lentil grown under late sowing date vis-à-vis normal sowing date. Two genotypes viz., IPL 220 and KLS 218 were sown in pots with two sowing dates i.e., normal (control) and late sown (to expose plants to terminal heat stress) in completely randomized design with three replications. Experiments comprised of eight treatments having various combination of seaweed extract (SWE) and humic acid (HA) applied as seed priming and/or foliar spray at 40 and 60 Days after sowing. Results showed that lipid peroxidation and activities of antioxidative enzymes decreased by the application of humic acid and seaweed extract as seed priming and foliar application. Seed priming + foliar application (40+60 DAS) with SWE followed by seed priming + foliar application (40+60 DAS) with HA was found significantly superior in reducing the adverse effects of terminal heat stress in lentil. Hence, it is concluded that application of humic acid and seaweed extract with the combination of seed priming or foliar spray helps in ameliorating terminal heat stress in late sown crop of lentil.