BIOCHEMICAL CHANGES INDUCED BY NANOSILICON IN MITIGATING DROUGHT STRESS IN GROUNDNUTS (ARACHIS HYPOGAEA L.)

Drought is a significant abiotic stressor for plants, leading to oxidative stress, cell death, and reduced global crop yields.This study investigates the effects of drought stress on relative water content (RWC), photosynthetic pigments, carotenoids, and proline levels to assess the efficacy of nanosilicon (N-Si) in alleviating drought stress in two groundnut genotypes: GG-6 (drought susceptible) and GJG-22 (drought tolerant).Application of exogenous nanosilicon under drought conditions markedly increased RWC, carotenoids, proline, and photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a, b, and total chlorophyll) in the GJG-22 genotype compared to GG-6.The findings suggest that N-Si treatment enhances drought tolerance in groundnuts, presenting a cost-effective and environmentally friendly approach to improving crop resilience.