Banana cultivation worldwide is under threat from a wide variety of pathogens and negative environmental factors. Most cultivated banana plants are vegetatively propagated, resulting in a dearth of breeding and a genetic bottleneck. This has led to enhanced susceptibility to a number of lethal plant diseases. Novel solutions are being pursued to enhance the innate defences of the banana plant in an effort to combat these diseases.Of all current banana diseases, Fusarium wilt poses the greatest overall threat. Fusarium wilt, sometimes known as Panama disease, is caused by the soilborne fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc). A complex grouping of polyphyletic fungal strains, collectively referred to as races, is responsible for causing disease in banana. Race 1 of Foc caused the collapse of the global 'Gros Michel' trade industry in the mid-20th century.The industry recovered by substituting 'Cavendish' cultivars for 'Gros Michel', but a new race (race 4) is now threatening 'Cavendish' production.Breeding and transgenics programmes for developing Foc resistant banana cultivars are in progress, but advancement is slow and durable resistance cannot be guaranteed. In the interim, innovative control strategies for Foc are being sought. These strategies involve the development of new cultural controls or soil amendments and are intended to inhibit fungal inoculum in the soil or to upregulate innate plant defences. The research in this thesis focusses on the poorly studied plant nutrient, silicon, and its potential for controlling fusarium wilt of banana.Silicon is classified as a "quasi-essential" element: not fulfilling the strict requirements for essentiality, but still playing an active role in the plant. Despite its prevalence in the environment and content within plants, it remains one of the least studied and understood plant nutrients. Adding silicon to plants as a fertiliser makes them more tolerant to various biotic (pathogens) and abiotic (environmental) factors. This protective effect is not consistent between species and can vary within species. The mechanism by which silicon enhances innate plant defences is poorly understood. Anecdotal reports of silicon iii improving banana tolerance to both pathogens and environmental factors have been reported and subsequently investigated in the scientific literature.For this thesis, the research objectives were to investigate the location and deposition of silicon within roots and shoots of banana plants; investigate silicon absorption through the roots and uptake dynamics; to determine if silicon enhances tolerance to Foc; observe the beneficial effects of silicon in the tissue culture phase of banana cultivation, and; examine how soil distribution of silicon influences uptake and resistance to Foc. All research took place on the 'Cavendish' "Williams" cultivar and subtropical race 4 of Foc as these are most relevant for Australian banana production.The location of silicon in the roots of banana plants was determined using scanning electron microsco...