In present studies we have evaluated mulching impact of Jatropha curcas leaves on soil health and yield of two wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) varieties Wadan-2017 (rainfed) and Pirsabak-2013 (irrigated) under imposed water stress. Mulch of Jatropha leaves was spread on the soil surface at the rate of 0, 1, 3 and 5 Mg ha-1 after seed germination of wheat. Water stress was imposed by skipping irrigations for one month at anthesis stage of wheat maintaining 40% soil field capacity. We found a significant decline in soil microbial biomass carbon (30.27%), total nitrogen (22.28%) and organic matter content (21.73%) due to imposed water stress in non-mulch plots. However, mulch application at 5 Mg ha-1 significantly improved soil organic matter (38.18%), total nitrogen (37.75%), phenolics content (16.95 mg gallic acid equivalents/g) and soil microbial biomass carbon (26.66%) as compared to non-mulch control. Soil health indicators like soil carbonates, bicarbonates, electrical conductivity, chloride ions and total dissolved salts were decreased by 5 Mg ha-1 mulch application. We noted a decline in yield indicators like spike weight (14.74%), grain spike-1 (7.02%), grain length (3.79%), grain width (3.16%), 1000 grains weight (6.10%), Awn length (9.21%), straw weight (23.53%) and total grain yield (5.98%) of wheat due to imposed water stress. Reduction in yield traits of wheat due to water stress was higher in Pirsabak-2013 than Wadan-2017. Jatropha leaves mulch application at 5 Mg ha-1 significantly minimized the loss in yield traits of wheat crop caused by water stress. Jatropha curcas leaves mulch application at 5 Mg ha-1 is recommended for the successful establishment of wheat crop under water deficit conditions.

Chair of Climate Change Environmental Development and Vegetation Cover Department of Botany and Microbiology College of Science King Saud University Riyadh 11451 Saudi Arabia

College of Life Science Linyi University Linyi 276000 Shandong China

Department of Agronomy The University of Haripur Haripur 22620 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan

Department of Botany University of Science and Technology Bannu Pakistan

Department of Geology and Pedology Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology Mendel University in Brno 61300 Brno Czech Republic

Department of Soil and Environmental Science The University of Agriculture Peshawar Pakistan

Department of Soil Science Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Technology Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan 60800 Pakistan

Hainan Key Laboratory for Sustainable Utilization of Tropical Bio Resource College of Tropical Crops Hainan University Haikou 570228 Hainan China

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