The effect of Potassium Silicate and Late-Season Drought Stress on the Physiological Characters of Canola

In order to study the effects of late-season drought stress and foliar application of potassium silicate on yield and yield components of spring genotypes of canola, a factorial split-plot experiment is conducted in Karaj, Iran in a randomized complete block configuration with three replications for two years of cultivation (2016-2018). The irrigation is performed at two levels in this study, including routine irrigation (control) and interruption of irrigation from the pod formation stage. Potassium silicate foliar application at two levels is comprised of 0 and 4 g liter-1 in factorial status in main plots and five Brassica napus L. genotypes including OG×AL, RGS×SLM, DALGAN, RGS003 and RGS×Okapi in subplots.  The results show that the measured properties are affected by the applied treatments. Full irrigation with foliar application in OG×AL genotype results in highest seed yield (5620 Kg/ha) and total chlorophyll content (1.71 mg/g.FW) increase stomatal resistance, leaf proline, leaf soluble and carbohydrates, decreasing total chlorophyll content and relative leaf water content. Under drought stress conditions, DALGAN and RGS× SLM genotypes have higher yield, which indicates its better performance under stress conditions. Finally, our research demonstrates Potassium Silicate's beneficial effects in improving the drought tolerance of canola plants, particularly at the end of the season. Our study will act as a foundation for any attempt in new approaches to mitigate drought damage, establishing a functional connection between the position of potassium silicate, physiological response, and drought stress tolerance in canola plants.