Drought, a major abiotic stress, adversely affects the growth, development, and nutrient absorption of legume plants, leading to yield reduction. This study investigated the combined effects of silicon (Si) and the actinobacterial strain Streptomyces chartreusis on water-stress resistance in soybean (Glycine L.). Our experiments, conducted under simulated water deficit conditions, revealed that the combined application of Si and S. chartreusis boosted the morphological, physiological, and biochemical traits of the soybean plants. Si treatment led to higher levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and silicon while reducing malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations (25 %), an indicator of oxidative stress. The use of silicate and S. chartreusis boosted the activity of antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase (35 %), catalase (61 %), and peroxidase (58 %), reducing oxidative damage and improving water relations, as shown by the increased relative water content (33 %) and membrane stability index (35 %). The plants treated with both silicate and S. chartreusis exhibited the highest levels of chlorophyll a and b, suggesting improved photosynthetic efficiency. These results highlight the potential of combining Si with beneficial microbial inoculants in sustainable agriculture to enhance soybean resilience to water stress. However, field studies are required to confirm the efficacy of these treatments in agricultural environments.

Trees in degraded forest areas are generally exposed to water stress due to harsh environmental conditions, threatening their survival. This study simulated the environmental conditions of a degraded forest area by constructing an artificial rainfall slope and observing the physiological responses of Pinus densiflora to control, mulching, and waterbag treatments. P. densiflora exhibited distinct isohydric plant characteristics of reducing net photosynthetic rate and stomatal transpiration rate through regulating stomatal conductance in response to decreased soil moisture, particularly in the control and waterbag treatments. Additionally, the trees increased photochemical quenching, such as Y(NPQ), to dissipate excess energy as heat and minimize damage to the photosynthetic apparatus. However, these adaptive mechanisms have temporal limitations, necessitating appropriate measures. Under extreme drought stress (DS45), mulching treatment showed 4.5 times and 2.2 times higher in PIabs and SFIabs than in the control, and after the recovery period (R30), waterbag and mulching treatment showed similar levels, while PIabs and SFIabs in the control were only 45% and 75% of those in the mulching and waterbag treatments, respectively. Specifically, mulching extended the physiological mechanisms supporting survival by more than a week, making it the most effective method for enhancing the planting ground in degraded forest areas. Although the waterbag treatment was less effective than mulching treatment, it still significantly contributed to forming better growth conditions compared to the control. These findings highlight the potential for mulching and waterbag treatments to enhance forest restoration efforts, suggesting future research and application could lead to more resilient reforested areas capable of withstanding climate change-induced drought conditions.

The study was conducted within the Longstanding Stationary Fertilizer Experiment (LSFE) in IASS Obraztsov Chiflik, Rousse with the aim of establishing the influence of different options of mineral fertilization on yield and resistance to environmental stress and the development of phytopathogens in common wheat.It was found that the highest yield for the period - 6,080 kg ha(-1), was obtained in the experimental plot with full mineral fertilization (N-15 & Rcy;(12)& Kcy;(7)), which represents more than a two-fold increase compared to the average yield obtained from the control. Phytopathological analysis shows that the seeds obtained from the variant with full mineral fertilization have the lowest percentage of phytopathogens (0.75-2.00%) while 22% of the seeds in the control was damaged by Tilletia. The variants with potassium fertilization (K-7) stand out as the most resistant to atmospheric drought during the four-year research period, with the reported values - 58.61 mu S cm(-1), being 12% lower, compared to the control. The highest resistance to soil drought was established for the variants with potassium (K-7) and phosphorus (P-12) fertilization, respectively 83.02 mu S cm(-1) and 83.05 mu S cm(-1).