Silicon and Plant–Pathogen Interactions

Abstract

The benefi cial effects of silicon (Si) at preventing plant diseases have been known for many decades, and the list of plant-pathogen interactions infl uenced by Si keeps expanding. However, it is quite evident that the prophylactic properties of Si will vary greatly depending on the plant and the pathogen. The recent discovery of Si-specifi c transporters in rice roots has been instrumental in identifying plants that possessed such transporters and were thus genetically disposed to accumulate Si in their tissues and benefi t more from Si amendments. For the same reason, soil applications of Si lead to signifi cantly more Si accumulation in plant tissues than foliar applications and are likely to yield better results. An issue that has received less attention is the specifi city of Si with respect to plant pathogens. Based on the literature, there is an overwhelming abundance of reports describing the positive effects of Si against fungal pathogens compared to bacteria, virus or nematodes. Among fungal pathogens, those described as biotrophic or hemibiotrophic, such as powdery mildews and Magnaporthe grisea, appear to be better controlled by Si. The reasons behind this apparent specifi city are still unknown but recent data suggest that Si would interfere with effector proteins released by those pathogens, thus allowing the plant to mount better defence reactions. Our recent progress at understanding Si properties will contribute to optimizing its use in the context of sustainable agriculture.

Silicon-enhanced resistance of plants to biotic stresses review article

“…Silicon nutrition decreases the incidence and severity of fungal, bacterial and viral diseases, and insect pest infestation in several crop plant species (Ma, 2004;Silva et al, 2010;Zellner et al, 2011;Van Bockhaven et al, 2013;Liang et al, 2015a,b;Reynolds et al, 2016;Sakr, 2016aSakr, ,b, 2017. Most importantly, silicon improved plant resistance against a multitude of stresses without the occurrence of resistance tradeoffs and/or growth and yield penalties (Ma, 2004;Ma and Yamaji, 2006;Epstein, 2009;Van Bockhaven et al, 2013;Liang et al, 2015b). Epstein (1994Epstein ( , 1999Epstein ( , 2009 reported that the absorption of silicon by plants from the soil at differing rates depend on genotype, its concentration in the soil and environmental conditions.…”

Local mineral resources and agricultural production wastes as fertilizer

“…It is taken up by plants in an amount exceeding the latter in total, which indicates the most important role of silicon in a living organism. Numerous studies confirm the foregoing [1][2][3][4][5][6][7].…”

Nano-Silicon Triggers Rapid Transcriptomic Reprogramming and Biochemical Defenses in Brassica napus Challenged with Sclerotinia sclerotiorum

“…Silicon has been suggested as a viable option, as it has been shown to improve plant tolerance to various abiotic stresses [30], such as drought [31,32], salinity [33][34][35], heavy metals [36,37], high temperatures [38], freezing conditions [39], and ultraviolet radiation [40,41]. Moreover, silicon has demonstrated efficacy against biological stresses, including fungi, bacteria, and insect pests [42,43]. Previous studies have shown that silicon-treated plants exhibit enhanced resistance to diseases like powdery mildew in both wheat [44] and cucumber [45,46].…”