Effects of silicon on the penetration and reproduction events of Meloidogyne exigua on coffee roots

Abstract

Considering that the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne exigua has caused great yield losses to coffee production in Brazil, this study aimed to determine whether the penetration and the reproduction events of this nematode on the roots of plants from two coffee cultivars with different levels of basal resistance to this nematode could be affected by silicon (Si). Coffee plants from the cultivars Catuaí and IAPAR 59, which are susceptible and resistant, respectively, to M. exigua, were grown in pots containing Si-deficient soil that was amended with either calcium silicate (+Si) or calcium carbonate (-Si). The Si concentration on the root tissue significantly increased by 159 and 97% for the +Si plants from the cultivars Catuaí and IAPAR 59, respectively, compared to the -Si plants of these cultivars. The population of M. exigua, the number of galls and the number of eggs were significantly reduced on the roots of the +Si plants of the cultivars Catuaí and IAPAR 59 compared to the -Si plants of these cultivars. It was concluded that the development and reproduction events of M. exigua were negatively impacted on the roots of coffee plants supplied with Si.

Silicon: Potential to Promote Direct and Indirect Effects on Plant Defense Against Arthropod Pests in Agriculture

“…Numerous studies have shown enhanced resistance of plants treated (soil and/or foliar application) with silicon to insect herbivores and other arthropods, including folivores ( Korndorfer et al, 2004 ; Redmond and Potter, 2006 ; Massey et al, 2007 ; Han et al, 2015 ), borers ( Kvedaras and Keeping, 2007 ; Kvedaras et al, 2007a , b , 2009 ; Hou and Han, 2010 ; Keeping et al, 2013 ; Vilela et al, 2014 ), phloem ( Correa et al, 2005 ; Goussain et al, 2005 ; He et al, 2015 ) and xylem feeders ( Yoshihara et al, 1979 ), mites ( Nikpay and Nejadian, 2014 ) and nematodes ( Silva et al, 2015 ). However, there is no consistent evidence for silicon having a greater effect in any particular feeding guild or taxon ( Keeping and Kvedaras, 2008 ).…”

An Overview on the Potential of Silicon in Promoting Defence Against Biotic and Abiotic Stresses in Sugarcane

“…The increased resistance of Si to maize Hessian fly, Mayetiola destructor, was first reported in the 1920s (McColloch and Salmon 1923), and later, Ponnaiya (1951) revealed a close association between resistance of central shoot fly (Atherigona indica) and Si concentration in sorghum shoots. Since then, numerous studies have proven the potential of Si in enhancing the resistance to several insect herbivores and other arthropods, including folivores (Han et al 2015;Korndorfer et al 2004;Massey et al 2007;Redmond and Potter 2006), borers (Anderson and Sosa Jr 2001;Elawad et al 1985;Camargo et al 2014;Hou and Han 2010;Keeping et al 2013;Kvedaras and Keeping 2007;Kvedaras et al 2007aKvedaras et al , b, 2009aNikpay et al 2017;Vilela et al 2014), phloem feeders (Correa et al 2005;Goussain et al 2005;He et al 2015), xylem feeders (Yoshihara et al 1979), leaf hopper (Indhumathi et al 2018), spittlebug (Korndörfer et al 2011), mites (Nikpay and Nejadian 2014) and nematodes (Silva et al 2015). Several studies have also confirmed that Si nutrition helped in altering survival, reproduction and host plant preferences of chewing (Goussain et al 2002;Kvedaras et al 2009a; and sucking insects (Basagli et al 2003;Correa et al 2005;Korndörfer et al 2011).…”