Silicon for the sustainable agriculture

Silicon, a metalloid with bluish-grey metallic shine, is known for its semiconductor properties. Since silicon is being widely used for computers and many other semiconductor-based devices, many technological hubs worldwide received the name like Silicon Valley.

- Hena Dhar, Vinod Goyal, Parful Salvi, Humira Sonah, Rupesh Deshmukh

Silicon has numerous uses in industrial products, cosmetics, and medicine. Interestingly, studies published over the last couple of decades have demonstrated its benefits to crop plants (Deshmukh et al., 2017). . Fundamental studies by Japanese scientists showing high levels of silicon deposition in grasses have paved the way for understanding the role of silicon in plants. Numerous recent reports have shown a link between silicon deposition and stress tolerance in plants. Silicon supplementation has been shown to improve resilience in plants under a variety of stress conditions including diseases and environmental stress like drought, cold and waterlogging. The silicon-derived benefits have been reported more frequently in plant species known to accumulate high levels of silicon. Despite thousands of research reports showing siliconderived benefits to plants, silicon was never being considered an essential element. Since most of the plant species can complete their life cycle without silicon supplementation. But considering the benefits of silicon particularly under stress conditions, International Plant Nutrition Institute (www.ipni.net) has categorized it as a beneficial element for plant growth. Consequently, many companies have launched silicon-based fertilizers for crops like rice, wheat, maize, sugarcane, and vegetables. Silicon-based fertilizers are gaining popularity in America, Africa, and particularly in South Asian countries like India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Major concerns for use of silicon-based fertilizers include the availability of the source, sustainability, and most importantly the risk to the environment.

Silicon to improve resistance against plant diseases