Abstract
Stressful effects on agriculture are of paramount importance in the 21st century. Water deficiency is considered a major constraint in crop succession, particularly for maize. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the potential roles of brassinolide (BL) and silicon (Si) in mitigating biotic (incidence of pests and diseases) and abiotic stresses (naturally occurring water deficit) in maize grown after soybean harvest. The field experiments were conducted over two growing seasons on a Rhodic Haplustox in the Cerrado, Goiás, Brazil. A randomized complete block design was employed in a 5 × 2 factorial arrangement, with five BL doses (0.000, 0.050, 0.100, 0.150, and 0.200 mg L−1) and two Si treatments (absence and presence), each with four replicates. BL was applied immediately when the soil moisture in the 0–0.20 m layer reached 16.25%, corresponding to the crop’s critical water threshold. This specific phenological point corresponded to the R2 stage in the first off-season and the V10 stage in the second off-season. Si applications were performed at the V3 and V8 stages. BL application enhanced growth, as well as physiological and metabolic performance by increasing protein synthesis and sugar content, thereby maintaining relative water content, sustaining antioxidant enzyme activity, and reducing lipid peroxidation under water-deficit conditions. The BL doses that achieved the highest yields were 0.149 mg L−1 (R2 stage) in the first off-season and 0.134 mg L−1 (V10 stage) in the second off-season. Si application effectively reduced pest damage and disease severity while improving plant water status. However, in the second off-season, a significant BL × Si interaction was limited to carotenoids, pheophytinization index, and disease severity. These results indicate that the combined use of BL and Si provides a promising strategy to enhance maize resilience by integrating BL-mediated yield promotion with Si-driven physical and biotic protection under adverse environmental conditions.
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Claims 14
Claim · model-written summary
Brassinolide increased maize growth under water deficit.
Zea maysNot reportedComparatorValue
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“BL application enhanced growth, as well as physiological and metabolic performance by increasing protein synthesis and sugar content, thereby maintaining relative water content, sustaining antioxidant enzyme activity, and reducing lipid peroxidation under water-deficit conditions”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Brassinolide increased protein synthesis.
Not reportedComparatorValue
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“BL application enhanced growth, as well as physiological and metabolic performance by increasing protein synthesis and sugar content, thereby maintaining relative water content, sustaining antioxidant enzyme activity, and reducing lipid peroxidation under water-deficit conditions”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Brassinolide increased sugar content.
Not reportedComparatorValue
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“BL application enhanced growth, as well as physiological and metabolic performance by increasing protein synthesis and sugar content, thereby maintaining relative water content, sustaining antioxidant enzyme activity, and reducing lipid peroxidation under water-deficit conditions”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Brassinolide maintained relative water content.
Not reportedComparatorValue
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“BL application enhanced growth, as well as physiological and metabolic performance by increasing protein synthesis and sugar content, thereby maintaining relative water content, sustaining antioxidant enzyme activity, and reducing lipid peroxidation under water-deficit conditions”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Brassinolide sustained antioxidant enzyme activity.
Not reportedComparatorValue
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“BL application enhanced growth, as well as physiological and metabolic performance by increasing protein synthesis and sugar content, thereby maintaining relative water content, sustaining antioxidant enzyme activity, and reducing lipid peroxidation under water-deficit conditions”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Brassinolide reduced lipid peroxidation.
Not reportedComparatorValue
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“BL application enhanced growth, as well as physiological and metabolic performance by increasing protein synthesis and sugar content, thereby maintaining relative water content, sustaining antioxidant enzyme activity, and reducing lipid peroxidation under water-deficit conditions”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
A 0.149 mg per litre brassinolide dose achieved highest yield at R2 in the first off-season.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The BL doses that achieved the highest yields were 0.149 mg L−1 (R2 stage) in the first off-season and 0.134 mg L−1 (V10 stage) in the second off-season”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
A 0.134 mg per litre brassinolide dose achieved highest yield at V10 in the second off-season.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The BL doses that achieved the highest yields were 0.149 mg L−1 (R2 stage) in the first off-season and 0.134 mg L−1 (V10 stage) in the second off-season”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Silicon reduced pest damage.
Not reportedComparatorValue
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Si application effectively reduced pest damage and disease severity while improving plant water status”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Silicon reduced disease severity.
Not reportedComparatorValue
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Si application effectively reduced pest damage and disease severity while improving plant water status”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Silicon improved plant water status.
Not reportedComparatorValue
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Si application effectively reduced pest damage and disease severity while improving plant water status”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
The brassinolide by silicon interaction affected carotenoids in the second off-season.
Not reportedComparatorDirectionValue
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“in the second off-season, a significant BL × Si interaction was limited to carotenoids, pheophytinization index, and disease severity”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
The brassinolide by silicon interaction affected pheophytinization index in the second off-season.
Not reportedComparatorDirectionValue
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“in the second off-season, a significant BL × Si interaction was limited to carotenoids, pheophytinization index, and disease severity”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
The brassinolide by silicon interaction affected disease severity in the second off-season.
Not reportedComparatorDirectionValue
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“in the second off-season, a significant BL × Si interaction was limited to carotenoids, pheophytinization index, and disease severity”
t0“Maize”
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See all 6 papers →8 of 9 groups shown: named compounds and organisms first, then groups whose results differ (checked claim by claim), then those with positive and negative results, then the smaller groups.
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.