**1. Introduction**

Feeding the world's growing population necessitates having a greater focus on the efficient and particular use of scarce resources, such as fertilizers. The yield of crops decreases due to various abiotic parameters, such as drought stress, salt stress, late sowing, poor seed quality, climate change, and lack of fertilizer [1–5]. High-temperature stress is the primary environmental issue that confines the yield of wheat. For every 1 ◦C increase in average temperature from 23 ◦C, the wheat yield will decrease by about 10% [6]. Heat stress significantly reduces the photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll content, leaf areas, and grain weight, and ultimately crop yield per hector is reduced to half [7–9]. Besides this, >40% of the world's total wheat area is facing abiotic stress. The productivity of wheat is often unfavorably affected by salt stress, which has been linked to slow growth, changes in reproductive behavior, variations in enzymatic activity, damage to photosynthesis, injury to the ultrastructure of cell components, serotonin deficiency, and oxidative stress [10]. Many studies in the past have revealed the adverse effects of salt stress on the physiological traits of numerous plants, including cardoon genotypes [11], pepper [12], *Vicia faba* [13], and *Olea europea* L. [14]. Besides this, drought stress reduces morphological traits, such as leaf size and vegetative growth; physiological traits, such as reduction in photosynthesis and stomatal conductance; and the transpiration rate [15]. Drought stress has also been observed to alter the biochemical and physiological responses of wheat [7]. On the other hand, waterlogging is also a significant factor influencing the yield and quality of wheat. Waterlogging stress reduces yield, number of ears per square meter, grain weight, protein content, and levels of chlorophyll a and b while increasing proline levels [16]. Similarly, waterlogging induced a stress-activated antioxidant response system in *Phalaris arundinacea* [17]. In another study, long-term waterlogging stress affected photosynthetic traits such as leaf area, stomatal density, and stomatal conductance in apple cultivars [18]. So, the wheat yield has been reduced in recent years, resulting in price volatility and food insecurity. It has been proposed that wheat production must be increased by 60% to fulfill the needs of 9 billion people by 2050 [4,5]. This will necessitate an increase in annual wheat production of at least 1.6%, which will require resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses and enhanced input use efficiency.

Many approaches have been used to reduce the deleterious effects of abiotic stress in plants; one of these approaches is the use of nitrogen (N) fertilizer. The rational use of chemical fertilizers is essential for wheat production, food security, and the environment Nitrogen has been reported to enhance wheat crop yields [19]. Nitrate is a communal form of N that exists in cell vacuoles and is reduced by nitrate and nitrite reductase activities in the cytoplasm. Leaves contain chlorophyll, which is responsible for photosynthesis. When N is readily available in the soil solution, the nitrogen use efficiency of the plant is critical [20]. The excessive use of nitrogen fertilizer causes environmental pollution, as well as economic losses. The unwise use of nitrogen fertilizers can cause crop lodging and reduce economic yields. Thus, studying nitrogen for a good yield and time is inevitable for the wheat crop, especially once grown under stress conditions [21].

At the same time, loss of N is the main threat of environmental pollution, which causes health problems. The volatilization of ammonia in urea fertilizer is up to 65%, depending on the environment and soil characteristics. Nitrate pollution produces serious health problems for humans and animals. The use of nitrogen higher than the crop requirement may be the reason for a low nitrogen utilization rate and nitrogen loss in the soil [19]. Hence, in order to reduce the loss of nitrogen under abiotic stress and increase the yield, it is recommended to use the 4R principle (right time, right amount, right source, and right place) for fertilization [22]. In this regard, slow-release nitrogen fertilizers can improve the tolerance of abiotic stresses [19,21]. Slow-release nitrogen fertilizer technology could be used to decrease water and environmental pollution [22]. Slow-release fertilizers contain a semipermeable layer of various essential oils, as well as secondary and significant nutrients, and control particle water solubility by slowing the hydrolysis procedure of water-soluble fertilizers.

One of the good slow-release nitrogen fertilizers is sulfur-coated urea (SCU), which promotes wheat growth and development. The wheat crop has a positive correlation between "S" and "N" elements [23]. The S element is a secondary and fungicide with acidic possessions that neutralize the alkalinity of soil [24]. As a result, the excessive application of N without the S coating material results in the extreme leaching of N [21]. As a result, the prudent application of nitrogen fertilizers and nitrogen sources reduces strength while increasing crop yield under stress.

Few studies have narrated the effects of SCU on wheat under comparative examination of heat, salt stress, waterlogging and combined stress conditions. A study addressing the comparative effect of slow-release nitrogen fertilizer on three stresses (salt, waterlogging, and heat) has not been conducted before, hence the novelty of our study. There is a need to conduct a detailed study based on various abiotic conditions under controlled nitrogen fertilization. To address all the issues mentioned above, the current study aimed to determine the effects of salt stress, waterlogging, and heat stresses on the physiological attributes and wheat crop yield. Furthermore, the current study also focused on improving wheat growth and development, as well as viable soil management using SCU (with a nitrogen release period of 120 days) under heat, salt stress, waterlogging, and combined stresses. Another objective of the current study was to assess the effect of the N source and release rate on wheat production and abiotic stress tolerance. The effectiveness of slowrelease SCU against various abiotic stresses was determined along with control wheat with the same SCU fertilizer. This study also aimed to determine the key physical parameters affecting crop yield once the stresses were applied.
