Accumulation of silicon and arrangement and shapes of silica bodies in corn leaves

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Different plant species have different levels and locations of silicon accumulation in their tissues, and may or may not have silica bodies. Grasses usually accumulate these bodies, which may have different shapes depending on the genotype. Besides, this element can be beneficial to crops. The present study aimed to examine the forms and locations of silicon accumulation, as well as silicon content, in flag leaves of corn (Zea mays L.). This was a field experiment with two cultivars of corn: Coodetec 384 and Pioneer BG7065H. Four months after sowing, the flag leaves of the corn cultivars were obtained for determination of the silicon content of leaf tissue with the use of plasma atomic emission spectrometry, as well as examination of the different forms and locations of silicon accumulation using scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The two cultivars were found to accumulate foliar silicon, primarily at the base of the trichomes and on the venation. Also, silica bodies in the shape of four-leaf clovers and dumbbells were detected, and the cultivar 1691 Accumulation of silicon in corn leaves ©FUNPEC-RP www.funpecrp.com.br Genetics and Molecular Research 13 (1): 1690-1696 (2014) Coodetec 384 showed a silicon content in leaf tissue 26% higher than that of Pioneer BG7065H.

Accumulation of germanium (Ge) in plant tissues of grasses is not solely driven by its incorporation in phytoliths

“…In the present study for both investigated plant species (A. sativa and Z. mays) biosilicification was observed through microscopy investigations. Reference plants as well as plants treated with Ge showed phytoliths and silica plates in their leaves as previously described in the literature (Twiss et al 1969;Cheng et al 2003;Zhang et al 2011;Andrade et al 2014). Analysis of the elemental composition of the phytoliths by EDX revealed a strong signal for Si but no signal for Ge in both reference plants and plants treated with high doses of Ge.…”

Induction of resistance to fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in transgenic and conventional corn plants

“…S. frugiperda damage decreased with increasing dose due to silicon accumulation in the plants, which caused the caterpillars to feed less on the plants that received the highest doses. Corn is a silicon-accumulating plant (Andrade et al, 2014), and this chemical element is associated with induction of plant resistance to pest attacks (Souza et al, 2014;Almeida et al, 2015, Nikpay et al, 2015. Silicon application in corn plants increases S. frugiperda larval mortality, caterpillar cannibalism and mandible wear from plant feeding (Goussain et al, 2002).…”