CURRENT SITUATION OF USING SILICON BASED FERTILIZER FOR AGRICULTURAL PURPOSE

CURRENT SITUATION OF USING SILICON BASED FERTILIZER FOR AGRICULTURAL PURPOSEBy Tran Xuan Cuong

Examination committee: Dr. Avishek Datta (Chairperson) Dr. Abha Mishra Remember to add number of page 0Outline Introduction Silicon based fertilizerEffect of silicon in crop production Role of silicon in disease and pest control Alleviate effect of silicon in abiotic stress Conclusion

11INTRODUCTION 2Origin and historyA nonmetallic chemical element in the carbon family of elements. Second most abundant element in the earth's crustSymbol: SiAtomic number: 14Melting point: 1,414 CBoiling point: 2,357 CSilicon crystallizes in a diamond cubic crystal structure

3Silicon crystallizes in a diamond cubic crystal structure3Origin and history (continued)Silicon in earths crust always exists in the form of silicates and aluminosilicatesIn soil solution, Silicon is mostly exist in the form of silicic acid, such as metasilicic acid (H2SiO3) Silicon is deemed as a fundamental nutrient for a group of algae known as diatoms

4Origin and history (continued)In plants, silicon is present mostly as silicon dioxide (SiO2)In greater or lesser quantities, most plant has to absorb siliconSilicon is considered as vital element for the Equisetaceae family in vascular plants In addition, absorption of silicon is known as in the case of graminaceous crops such as rice or sugarcane

5What is Graminaceous crop? 5Origin and history (continued)Effect of silicon (Si) on rice growth and yield. (a) Rice with low levels of Si is susceptible to insect attack(b) a low level of Si accumulation results in grain discoloration due to infection by multiple fungal pathogens

Source: Ma and Yamaji, 2006 6SILICON BASED FERRILIZER 7Potential source for Silicon based FertilizerOne of the viable material that can be used as sources of Silicon is plant residues. Some notable residues are rice hulls and sugarcane bagasse.

8Potential source for Silicon based Fertilizer (continued)Byproducts also good sources for SiliconSlag, the waste of iron industry, used as a silicate fertilizer, and the content of Si in the slag is guaranteed.In Japan, calcium silicate hydrate, a waste byproduct of the building industry having Si solubility greater than slags from the iron and alloy mills was utilized in rice farming.

9Silicon - based fertilizer commercial Ideal for soil application Maximizes fertilizer use efficiency by reducing leaching losses of Nitrogen, Potash & other Micro Nutrients.Reducing fixation of phosphates in the soil as well as makes available phosphates fixed in the soil.Improves root mass & white root development.Silicon based fertilizer with Sulfur & Calcium 10Silicon based fertilizer with Sulfur & Calcium 10Silicon - based fertilizer commercial(continued) Bio Active Silicon FertilizerCommercial name: Biasic Main component: liquid potassium silicate water soluble 100%Origin: Thailand Source: Extracted from rice husk, rich of many silicon, have no side effect with human and plant.

11Silicon - based fertilizer commercial (continued)Sugarcane

Corn

12EFFECT OF SILICON IN CROP PRODUCTION 13RiceJapanese farmers already used silicon based fertilize in order to enhance and sustain the average rice yields up to 6t/ha from 1955.Silicate slag application at an optimum rate of 1.5-3.0 t ha is now widely used in degraded paddy fields in JapanResults is very promising Yield increases 10%, exceed 30% when leaf blast is severeThe percentage of perfect grain in brown rice and in milled rice hull increased by 7.5% and 3.5% respectively, comparing with NPK application (without Si) 14Rice (continued)In China, Rice plays a pivotal role in crops system, However deficiency of available Si in paddy soil is approximate 5 to 6 million hectares, compared with the total area of rice cultivation is 30 million hectaresApplication of a Si fertilizer - sodium silicate (Na2SiO3) resulted in increase in rice yield by higher than 10% nationwide

1515Rice (continued)Effect of silicate fertilizer application on rice growth and yield in Jiangsu province - China

Application rate (kg/ha)Number of panicleX 104/haNumber of spikelet per paniclePercentage of ripeningWeight of 1000 grainYield (ton/ha)04.8474.785.922.97.01754.9473.990.923.77.871055.0374.891.423.88.161355.0376.891.525.58.23Source: Takahashi et al., 199016Analysis about yield and yield components 16Rice (continued)In Brazil, upland rice occupies approximately 70% of the total rice area in Brazil Upland rice is cultivated in extensive areas in the savannas where predominant soils are Oxisols, which available Si is low.Field experiment in these regions indicated that application of wollastonite (CaSiO3) resulted in a significant increase in rice yield

17Rice (continued)In Colombia, a similar response to Si fertilization was also reported in two cultivars of upland rice at Santa Rosa Province

Si application rate (ton/ha)Yield (ton/ha)0123Oryzica 119922.13.23.63.71993 (residual 1992)2.73.63.73.81993 (residual 1992 + 1ton/ha Si)4.04.13.94.2Oryzica Llanos 519924.14.55.15.01993 (Residual 1992)2.32.24.64.61993 (Residual 1992 + 1ton/ha Si)4.74.74.74.6Source: Correa-Victoria et al., 2001)

18SugarcaneSugarcane is also a Si accumulator and an important economic crop in many countries In Hawaii , yields of cane and sugar in Hawaii have been increased 10-50% on soils low in Si by using Silicon based fertilizer Nowadays, sugar plantations regularly apply calcium silicate in sugarcane fields in Hawaii

1919Sugarcane (continued)In China, sugarcane is exclusively grown in southern and southeastern China. where Si deficiency occurs commonly in most soilsIn soils with concentrations of available Si less than 110 mg SiO2,/kg, Si deficient symptoms may be observed in sugarcane cropsTypically, sugarcane suffering from Si deficiency will have twisted leaves and lack of erectness (Ye and Xu. 1995)Applying 750 kg of fertilizer (available Si 23%) increased sugarcane yield by 30 ton/ha, and enhanced sugar output by 8.5%. Similar responses were obtained by applying 450-750 kg/ha of yellow phosphorous slag.

20Sugarcane (continued)In Brazil, on sandy soils, sugarcane has shown consistent responses to Si fertilization. The increase in yield, by applying cement and calcium silicate to the soils with a low Si content, ranged from 7 to 12%

Calcium silicate (kg/ha)Yield (t/ha)Barreiro FarmAmoreira Farm0145128700153134140015413628001631375600161135Sources: Korndorfer and Lepsch, 2001 2121Other crops Silicon also has benefit to growth of CucumberEffect of Si supply on the yield of cucumber in two commercial greenhouses in two successive yearGrower-Si+SiKg m2Fruit wt.(g)Kg m2Fruit wt.(g)11st year58.848562.249212nd year67.851070.950521st year 28.252028.554422nd year26.649827.6485Source: Voogt and Sonneveld, 200122Other crops (continued)In case of Tomato, there is a possibility that reproductive growth might be affected by silicon treatmentEffects of Si deficiency on tomato pollen fertility

Treatment SiO2 (mg)Growth StageFertility Ratio (%)0Before Bloom820In Bloom64100Before Bloom93100In Bloom91Source: Miyake and Takahashi. 19782323ROLE OF SILICON IN DISEASE AND PEST CONTROL 24Preventing disease and pest Rice blast and brown spot is the most serious threats to riceBlast is caused by the fungus Magnaporthe grisea. It can affect all above ground parts of a rice plant: leaf, collar, node, neck, and sometimes leaf sheath.Brown spot is a fungal disease thatinfects thecoleoptile, leaves, leaf sheath, panicle branches,glumes, and spikelets.

25Preventing disease and pest (continued) Influence of silicon fertilization (2 tons slag/ha) and foliar spray of benomyl (1.68 kg/ha) on blast incidence in rice farming in Florida - USASource: Datnoff et al., 199726Preventing disease and pest (continued) Effect of silicon (2 ton slag/ha) and propiconizole (0.44 L/ha) on brown spot severity in rice farming in Florida USA . Brown spot severity based on a scale of 0-9, where 0=no disease and 9=76% or more of leaf area affected

Source: Datnoff et al., 199727Preventing disease and pest (continued) Silicon has also been reported to prevent powdery mildew and stem rot diseases of cucumber, which is not a Si-accumulating plant (Voogt and Sonneveld, 2001).Silicon is also effective in increasing the resistance to fungal pathogen in cucumber roots (Cherif et al. 1994) Silicon has also been reported to prevent powdery mildew and stem rot diseases of cucumber, which is not a Si-accumulating plant (Voogt and Sonneveld, 2001). Silicon is also effective in increasing the resistance to fungal pathogen in cucumber roots (Cherif et al. 1994)28Preventing disease and pest (continued) List of diseases which occurrence is suppressed by Si

CropsDiseaseRiceBlastSheath brightBrown SpotStem rotLeaf scaldGrain discolorationBarleyPowdery MildewWheatPowdery MildewCucumberPowdery MildewStem rotRoot Infecting Fungi (Pythium spp.)MuskmelonPowdery mildew29ALLEVIATE EFFECTS OF SILICON TO ABIOTIC STRESS 30Silicon and physical stresses Silicon and water stressWater deficiency (drought stress) leads to the closure of stomata and subsequent decrease in the photosynthetic rate. Silicon can alleviate water stress by decreasing transpiration.Silicon can reduce the transpiration rate by 30% in rice, which has a thin cuticle. Under water-stressed conditions (low humidity), the effect of Si on rice growth was more pronounced than on rice that cultivated under non-stressed conditions (high humidity) (Ma et al. 2001a).31Silicon and physical stresses (continued)Silicon and stress associated with climatic condition Silicon application in rice is effective in alleviating the damage caused by climatic stress such as typhoons, low temperature and insufficient sunshine during the summer season (Ma et al. 2001a)A typhoon causes lodging and sterility in rice, resulting in a considerable reduction of the rice yield. Deposition of Si in rice enhances the strength of the stem by increasing the thickness of the culm wall and the size of the vascular bundles (Shimoyama 1958), thereby preventing lodging.32Silicon and chemical stresses Silicon and deficiency in or excess of Phosphorus Deficiency in P in soil is a worldwide problem.Excess P causes chlorosis or necrosis in leaves, probably due to the decreased availability of essential metals such as Fe and ZnSilicon can alleviate the damage caused by P excess by decreasing the excessive uptake of P, resulting in a decrease in the internal inorganic P concentrationThe Si induced decrease of P uptake has also been observed in some Si non-accumulating plants, including tomato, soybean, strawberry and cucumber, in which roots Si is also deposited (Ma et al. 2001a)

3333Silicon and chemical stresses (continued)Silicon and Nitrogen excessApplication of nitrogen fertilizers is an important practice for increasing yield. However, excess N causes lodging, mutual shading, susceptibility to diseases and so on.Silicon deposited on the stems and leaf blades prevents lodging and mutual shading, as stated aboveThe occurrence of blast disease is significantly inhibited by Si application in the field, especially when N application is heavyExcessive application of nitrogen fertilizers also causes a high protein content in brown rice, which affects its quality. Sufficient supply of Si to rice is effective in producing low protein rice

34Silicon and chemical stresses (continued)Silicon and Al to toxicity Al toxicity is a major factor limiting crop production in acid soils. Ionic Al inhibits root growth and nutrient uptake (Ma et al. 2001b)Alleviative effect of Si on Al toxicity is reported in many cases such as sorghum, barley, teosinte, maize, rice, and soybeanIn an experiment with maize, Si addition as silicic acid significantly alleviated AI-induced inhibition of root elongation. The alleviative effect was more apparent with increasing Si concentration. (Ma et al. 1997) Concentration of toxic Al3+ was found to decrease by the addition of silicic acid3535Silicon and chemical stresses (continued)Silicon and Salinity Silicon has been proven very effective in alleviating the effects of salt stressIn rice, shoot and root growth of rice was inhibited by 60% in the presence of 100 mM NaCl for three weeks, but Si addition significantly alleviated salt-induced injury (Matoh et al. 1986) The Na concentration in the shoot decreased to about half by Si addition

36NaCl: Sodium chloride 36Silicon and chemical stresses (continued)

Beneficial effects of Si under various stresses ( Jian Feng Ma. 2004 )37CONCLUSION 38Conclusion Nowadays, Silicon based fertilizer has been used universally for agricultural purpose. Even, Si has become globally important and considered as an environment-friendly Silicon is truly effective in increasing yields of crops, especially rice and sugarcane It has been proven that Silicon fertilizer generates resistance in many plants to diseases and pests, thereby contributing to reduced rates of application of pesticides and fungicides in farming activitiesSilicon plays a pivotal role in the resistance of plants to multiple stresses including biotic and abiotic stresses

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