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Effect of Nephthyl Acetic Acid Foliar Spray on Amelioration of Drought Stress Tolerance in Maize (Zea mays L.)

ABSTRACT The present study aimed to determine the effect of nephthyl acetic acid (NAA) on the physiological mechanism of drought tolerance in selected maize (Zea mays L.) varieties under induced drought stress at the vegetative stage. Maize seeds were sown in plastic pots (14 cm lower inside diameter, 18.5 cm upper inner diameter, 15.6 cm height, and 0.5 cm thickness) filled with 3 kg of air-dried soil and sand (3:1) in triplicate in the greenhouse of the Botany Department, Bacha Khan University, Charsadda in 2014. Results showed that the activities of antioxidant enzymes and proline accumulation were associated with the dry mass production and consequently with the drought tolerance of the maize varieties. It has been concluded that the inhibitory effects of water stress were ameliorated by exogenous application of NAA and were found to be significant for antioxidant enzymes at the vegetative stage in both varieties.