Silicon as a biostimulant in agriculture

Description

Silicon (Si) is a mineral element that is well known to protect plants against several environmental changes. While the exact mechanism is not known, beneficial responses across a broad range of crops highlight Si’s role in maintaining internal homeostasis. All plants accumulate Si to either macro- or micro-nutrient concentrations. This allows Si to work as a biostimulant due to its ability to reduce abiotic stresses including osmotic and nutritional imbalances. This chapter focuses on the function of Si in the context of abiotic stress reduction and growth promoting factors in plants.

Table of contents

1 Introduction 2 Silicon availability in fertilizers and growing media 3 Plant accumulation, transport and deposition of silicon 4 Silicon and plant abiotic defense: drought and salinity 5 Silicon and plant abiotic defense: tolerance to heavy metals 6 Silicon and plant abiotic defense: tolerance to other environmental stresses 7 Silicon and enhanced growth 8 Silicon and phytotoxicity 9 Regulatory issues 10 Summary and future trends 11 Abbreviations 12 Where to look for further information 13 References