Investigation of Defensive Role of Silicon during Drought Stress Induced by Irrigation Capacity in Sugarcane: Physiological and Biochemical Characteristics

Abstract

Water stress may become one of the most inevitable factors in years to come regulating crop growth, development, and productivity globally. The application of eco-friendly stress mitigator may sustain physiological fitness of the plants as uptake and accumulation of silicon (Si) found to alleviate stress with plant performance. Our study focused on the mitigative effects of Si using calcium metasilicate (wollastonite powder, CaO•SiO 2 ) in sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) prior to the exposure of water stress created by the retention of 50−45% soil moisture capacity. Si (0, 50, 100, and 500 ppm L −1 ) was supplied through soil irrigation in S. officinarum L. grown at about half of the soil moisture capacity for a period of 90 days. Water stress impaired plant growth, biomass, leaf relative water content, SPAD value, photosynthetic pigments capacity, and photochemical efficiency (F v /F m ) of photosystem II. The levels of antioxidative defenseinduced enzymes, viz., catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase, enhanced. Silicon-treated plants expressed positive correlation with their performance index. A quadratic nonlinear relation observed between loss and gain (%) in physiological and biochemical parameters during water stress upon Si application. Si was found to be effective in restoring the water stress injuries integrated to facilitate the operation of antioxidant defense machinery in S. officinarum L. with improved plant performance index and photosynthetic carbon assimilation.

Multidimensional Role of Silicon to Activate Resilient Plant Growth and to Mitigate Abiotic Stress

“…Several reports suggest that Si positively modulates the plant growth and yield in rice plants ( Dorairaj et al, 2017 ; Garg and Singh, 2018 ). It has been demonstrated that Si positively modulates the growth, development, and metabolism in sugarcane ( Saccharum officinarum ) ( Verma et al, 2021 ), beans ( Phaseolus vulgaris ) ( Zuccarini, 2008 ; Nosrati et al, 2014 ; El-Saadony et al, 2021 ), cotton, ( Gossypium hirsutum ) ( Wang et al, 2001 ; dos Santos et al, 2020 ), rice ( Hwang et al, 2007 ; Feng et al, 2011 ), and soybean ( Glycine max) ( Hamayun et al, 2010 ).…”

“…Moreover, drought tolerance is incrementally enhanced by Si supplementation to alleviate the deficiency of minerals in plants ( Habibi and Hajiboland, 2013 ; Bityutskii et al, 2017 ; Hosseini et al, 2017 ). Moreover, Verma et al (2021) investigated that Si played a defensive role against drought stress in sugarcane. Another mechanism responsible for enhancing tolerance by Si depends on its capability to boost the binding of nutrients to plant tissues and also stimulates the translocation of nutrients from the root apoplast to the shoots ( Greger et al, 2018 ).…”

Influence of Silicon on Biocontrol Strategies to Manage Biotic Stress for Crop Protection, Performance, and Improvement

“…Soils are made up of silicates and alumino-silicate minerals, while rocks are built up from silicates and alumino-silicate compounds. The physiological weathering of silicate releases Si in soil, forming monosilicic acid (H 4 SiO 4 ), which does not dissolve at a pH less than 9 and which is absorbed by plant roots from the soil [3,27,[29][30][31]. Monosilicic acid concentrations in soil solutions vary from 0.1-0.6 mM [1,32,33].…”

“…It seems to be a necessary plant nutrient based on the different criteria established by Epstein and Bloom [212]. The requirement of Si has been established in the literature for a wide range of plant species, demonstrating the importance of Si for plant health [7,9,31,213,214].…”

New outcomes on how silicon enables the cultivation of Panicum maximum in soil with water restriction

“…This is even more evident in species that absorb silicon, that is, they have a high capacity to capture and transport Si to the leaves 14 , 15 . Most studies so far on Si and water deficit in different species have discussed the effect of this element in reducing the transpiration rate, which increases the efficiency of water use 16 – 18 , the regulation of multiple defenses antioxidants 19 , pigment levels 20 and photosynthetic parameters 21 , 22 . Studies have suggested that Si reduces water stress due to less water loss by cuticular transpiration 23 , but the cuticular transpiration rate is very low compared to stomatal transpiration 24 , suggesting that Si also affects other mechanisms that need to be better investigated.…”