The Use of Si-Based Fertilization to Improve Agricultural Performance

Abstract

Silicon (Si) is a “quasi-essential” element, associated to stresses/limitations alleviation in crops. However, stressful situations are becoming the norm, due to climate change, human exhaustion of natural resources, land degradation and loss of soil biodiversity. In this context, Si becomes a critical element, capacitating crops to grow more and better with less. A total of 467 articles up to 2021 were selected, reporting 501 experiments (lab-oriented and field trials) resulting in 682 cases where different Si-based fertilizers were used to study crops/plants with agronomic value to evaluate its physiological and/or agronomic performance under a specific motivation. Results show that 63% of cases testing Si-fertilization show increase in productivity, while 13% refuted this observation and 24% did not evaluate plant growth. Crop physiological responses was registered in 42% of the cases and only 3% did not report any alteration, although 55% did not evaluate these indicators. Symptom alleviation, in cases where stresses/limitations were studied, was registered in 74% of the cases with a low number of negative outcomes (9%). Field trials where crop yield was measured after application of Si-fertilization show that 69% of different measurements (599) register a yield improvement ≥ 5%, while 18% of the measurements registered between 0 and 5% and only 14% reported yield loss. Si-fertilization is therefore and important factor to improve crop yield and capacitate crops with resilience to endure future limitations. Its inclusion in modern agriculture should be considered in larger scales to adapt crops to the current challenges of sustainable agriculture and food provision.

El Papel Biológico Del Silicio en Cultivos Agrícolas: Su Contribución Al Control De Plagas Y Enfermedades

“…Ciclo biogeoquímico del silicio El ciclo biogeoquímico del silicio ha sido poco estudiado debido a que el silicio (Si) no es un elemento esencial para el crecimiento y la reproducción de las plantas, pero es importante conocerlo por su relación con el ciclo del carbono (Tréguer et al, 2021;De-Tombeur et al, 2020;Vander y Delvaux, 2019). El Si en la corteza terrestre está asociado a minerales como el cuarzo y el feldespato (Barão, 2023), también se ha encontrado en formas como caolín, esmectita y vermiculita (Raturi et al, 2021).…”

“…El silicio (Si) es un elemento químico clasificado como metaloide, que se encuentra en la naturaleza principalmente como dióxido de silicio (SiO2), se sitúa como el segundo elemento más abundante en la corteza terrestre (Tréguer et al, 2021;Ahmad et al, 2020). Su liberación proviene de la desmineralización del cuarzo y el feldespato, así como de fitolitos que se encuentran en las hojas, estos llegan al suelo tras el desprendimiento y degradación de las hojas (Barão, 2023;De-Tombeur et al, 2020;).…”

Nutrient management: as a panacea to improve the caryopsis quality and yield potential of durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L.) under the changing climatic conditions

“…This activation process enhances the absorption of P by plant roots, along with other essential nutrients. The positive influence of Si in enhancing crop yield, improving crop resilience, and addressing the challenges of sustainable agriculture and food provision, emphasizing the need for its wider adoption in modern agriculture ( Barão, 2023 ). However, it is important to consider the potential for silicon accumulation in soil, which may affect soil properties and nutrient availability.…”

Editorial: Emerging contaminants and their effect on agricultural crops

“…Si primarily accumulates and strengthens the plant cell walls, thus make them more resilient to various abiotic and biotic stresses ( Arif et al., 2021 ; Das et al., 2021 ; Ranjan et al., 2021 ; Wang et al., 2021 ; Ahsan et al., 2023 ; Manivannan et al., 2023 ). It has also been reported that Si fertilization potentially enhance the ability of plants to take up other essential nutrients, like Ca and Mg ( Katz et al., 2021 ; Pavlovic et al., 2021 ; Barão, 2023 ). Additionally, Si is also important for nutrient cycling in soil and plants ( Schaller and Struyf, 2013 ; Marxen et al., 2016 ; Li et al., 2018 ; Xu et al., 2020 ; Raza et al., 2023 ).…”