Determination of the Effects of Vermicompost Doses on Growth and Physiological Responses of Durum Wheat under Drought Stress

Drought stress is a significant stressors that negatively impacts agricultural production, and mitigating these effects is important for agricultural production. Vermicompost is an environmentally friendly product with a rich nutrient content. This study investigated the effects of vermicompost doses (VD) on shoot dry matter production, macro- and micro-nutrients uptake, antioxidant enzyme activities (catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX)), and chlorophyll content in durum wheat under drought stress. Drought stress was applied at 100% (FC1), 75% (FC2), and 50% (FC3) of field capacity (FC), while VD was applied at 0% (VD0), 10% (VD10), and 20% (VD20). The results showed that drought stress significantly reduced shoot dry matter production in durum wheat, while VD increased shoot dry matter production. Drought stress, compared to FC1, generally increased nitrogen (N), potassium (K), copper (Cu), and manganese (Mn) concentrations in durum wheat, while decreasing phosphorus (P), magnesium (Mg), and iron (Fe) concentrations. In durum wheat, calcium (Ca) and zinc (Zn) concentrations increased in FC2 compared to FC1, while Ca and Zn concentrations decreased in FC3. VD generally increased macro-and micro-nutrients concentrations in durum wheat under drought stress. Drought stress increased CAT activity in durum wheat, increased APX activity in FC2 compared to FC1, and decreased it in FC3. The effect of drought stress on POD activity in durum wheat was insignificant. VD increased CAT activity in durum wheat under drought stress, while APX activity increased in FC1 but decreased in FC2 and FC3. The effect of VD durum wheat on POD activity was insignificant. Drought stress reduced chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and total chlorophyll content in durum wheat, while VD increased chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and total chlorophyll content. The study results showed that the use of vermicompost may be effective in partially mitigating the negative effects of drought stress in durum wheat