Abstract
Drought is one of the major abiotic stresses reducing productivity of field crops including maize. Silicon (Si) has been known to enhance plant tolerance against various biotic and abiotic stresses. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of seed priming of maize with Si on growth, yield, physiological traits and nutrient uptake under different soil moisture regimes. Completely randomized design with factorial arrangement was employed where treatments consisted of three Si doses (0, 1 and 2 mM) and three soil moisture regimes (100%, 75% and 50% field capacity [FC]). Si at 1 mM significantly increased growth and grain yield (∼38%) of stressed plants compared with the control, and these values did not significantly change when Si dose was increased to 2 mM. At 75 days after sowing, 1 mM Si at 50% FC increased the actual photochemical efficiency of photosystem II by 33% and the electron transport rate by 31% compared with the control. Silicon significantly reduced the amount of proline accumulation and increased total soluble sugar content at 50% FC. There was no clear increase/decrease in the contents of N, P, K, Ca and Mg in shoot and grain of Si-treated plants under water-deficit stress, except that N content in shoot was significantly increased with the addition of 1 mM Si. Priming seed with 1 mM Si was optimum in improving most of the studied parameters under water-deficit stress, and could offer perspectives for using it as the recommended dose for maize.
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Claims 10
Claim · model-written summary
One millimolar silicon significantly increased growth under stress.
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Si at 1 mM significantly increased growth and grain yield (∼38%) of stressed plants compared with the control”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
One millimolar silicon significantly increased stressed maize grain yield by about 38%.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Si at 1 mM significantly increased growth and grain yield (∼38%) of stressed plants compared with the control”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Increasing silicon from 1 to 2 mM did not significantly alter growth or grain yield.
- Treatment
- Si dose was increased to 2 mMe0
- Outcome
- these valuese0
- Direction
- did not significantly changee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“these values did not significantly change when Si dose was increased to 2 mM.”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
One millimolar silicon at 50% field capacity increased photosystem II photochemical efficiency by 33%.
- Treatment
- 1 mM Si at 50% FCe0
- Outcome
- actual photochemical efficiency of photosystem IIe0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 33%e0
- Qualifier
- At 75 days after sowinge0
- Comparator
- the controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“At 75 days after sowing, 1 mM Si at 50% FC increased the actual photochemical efficiency of photosystem II by 33% and the electron transport rate by 31% compared with the control.”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
One millimolar silicon at 50% field capacity increased electron transport rate by 31%.
- Treatment
- 1 mM Si at 50% FCe0
- Outcome
- electron transport ratee0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- 31%e0
- Qualifier
- At 75 days after sowinge0
- Comparator
- the controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“At 75 days after sowing, 1 mM Si at 50% FC increased the actual photochemical efficiency of photosystem II by 33% and the electron transport rate by 31% compared with the control.”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Silicon significantly reduced proline accumulation at 50% field capacity.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Silicon significantly reduced the amount of proline accumulation and increased total soluble sugar content at 50% FC.”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Silicon increased total soluble sugar content at 50% field capacity.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Silicon significantly reduced the amount of proline accumulation and increased total soluble sugar content at 50% FC.”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Silicon did not clearly change N, P, K, Ca or Mg content in shoots or grain under water deficit.
- Treatment
- Si-treated plantse0
- Outcome
- contents of N, P, K, Ca and Mg in shoot and graine0
- Direction
- no clear increase/decreasee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“There was no clear increase/decrease in the contents of N, P, K, Ca and Mg in shoot and grain of Si-treated plants under water-deficit stress”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
One millimolar silicon significantly increased shoot N content.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“N content in shoot was significantly increased with the addition of 1 mM Si.”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend 1 mM silicon priming under water deficit.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Priming seed with 1 mM Si was optimum in improving most of the studied parameters under water-deficit stress, and could offer perspectives for using it as the recommended dose for maize.”
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