Growth, biochemical, and antioxidant response of beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.) grown in fly ash-amended soil

A pot experiment was conducted under net house conditions to study the ameliorative role of different levels of fly ash as a soil amendment, on the growth markers, biochemical attributes, and the antioxidant enzyme activity of beetroot. Seeds of beetroot were sown in earthen pots containing growth substrate, consisting of field soil amended with different levels of fly ash (0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25% weight/weight). Beetroot grown in 15% fly ash-amended soil had significantly (p ≤ 0.05) higher plant growth and pigment content as compared to the control. With the improvement in nitrate reductase activity, the contents of total protein and carbohydrate also increased significantly at 15% fly ash. The proline content and the total antioxidant activity of beetroot increased significantly with increasing fly ash levels. The elevated levels of proline and antioxidant activity might be responsible for scavenging the oxidative stress caused by the higher concentration of fly ash in the soil. The principal component analysis presented significant correlations among the various considered parameters. Two principal components explained a total of 97.12% overall data variability in plants treated with different levels of fly ash. Therefore, this work suggests that the application of fly ash as a soil amendment is suitable to improve the growth and yield of beetroot.