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Silicon Fertilization Enhances Photosynthetic Activity and Sugar Metabolism in Sugarcane Cultivars under Water Deficit at the Ripening Phase

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Abstract

Silicon (Si) has been associated with minimizing water deficit damage in several plants, but its effects on physiological aspects and gas exchange responses for sugarcane during the ripening phase are still scarce. Therefore, this study aimed to determine whether Si fertilization enhances physiological and gas exchange responses, biomass and sugar production in response to water deficit during the ripening phase of sugarcane, and whether these responses are similar in drought-tolerant and drought-sensitive cultivars. A greenhouse experiment was conducted using two sugarcane cultivars (RB855536 is drought-sensitive; RB867515 is drought-tolerant) without and with Si (0 = zero and 1000 kg−1 Si; -Si and + Si) under well-watered or water deficit conditions at the ripening phase. The biometric, physiological, and gas exchange measurements were independently influenced by the water deficit, cultivar, and Si. The leaf Si concentration, chlorophyll a (Chla), carotenoids, net CO2 assimilation rate (A), electron transport rate (ETR), plant transpiration (E), stomatal conductance (gs), and sugar content in stalks increased with Si, and electrolyte leakage (EL), plant length, leaf area (LA), and stalk fresh biomass decreased. Water deficit decreased the leaf water potential (ψW), fresh biomass of leaves, and LA. RB867515 showed higher LA, plant length, and fresh leaves biomass, while RB855536 showed superior leaf Si, Chla, Chlb, carotenoids, A, ETR, E, sugar content, and EL and lower ψW. Si fertilization promotes enhancement in some physiological and gas exchange aspects and increased sugar contents in stalks, independent of the water deficit at ripening phase or the drought tolerance of sugarcane cultivars.

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Abbreviations

Chl a :

Chlorophyll a

Chl b :

Chlorophyll b

LA :

Leaf area

EL :

Electrolyte leakage

FW :

Fresh weight

RWC :

Relative water content

TVD :

Top visible dewlap

WD :

Water deficit

WW :

Well-watered

Ψw :

Leaf water potential

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Sao Paulo State Research Foundation (FAPESP) for financial support (2018/05843-0; 2022/03805-9) of the first author, and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq-Brazil) for the fellowships to the fifth (Grant 316424/2021-8), and seventh author (Grant 305952/2018-8).

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The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. URPD Piracicaba, Agência Paulista de Tecnologia Dos Agronegócios (APTA), PO Box 28, Piracicaba, SP, 13412-050, Brazil

    Mônica Sartori Camargo

  2. Faculdade de Tecnologia de Piracicaba, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil

    Gustavo Jonas Baltieri

  3. Departamento de Produção Vegetal, Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Botucatu, SP, Brazil

    Hariane Luiz Santos, Melina Rodrigues Alves Carnietto & Marcelo de Almeida Silva

  4. Departamento de Engenharia de Biossistemas, Faculdade de Ciências E Engenharia, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Tupã, SP, Brazil

    André Rodrigues dos Reis

  5. Programa de Pós Graduação Em Agronomia, Universidade Do Oeste Paulista (UNOESTE), Presidente Prudente, SP, Brazil

    Ana Claudia Pacheco

Authors
  1. Mônica Sartori Camargo
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  2. Gustavo Jonas Baltieri
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  3. Hariane Luiz Santos
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  4. Melina Rodrigues Alves Carnietto
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  5. André Rodrigues dos Reis
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  7. Marcelo de Almeida Silva
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Contributions

Mônica Sartori Camargo planned, designed, and carried out the experiments, analyzed and interpreted the data, and was responsible for the manuscript preparation and for the project FAPESP 2018/05843–0. Gustavo Jonas Baltieri carried out the experiment, including measurements of the water potential in soil, irrigation calculations, and manual irrigation, and took the biometric measurements (fellowship 20/00038–1). Hariane Luiz Santos, and Melina Rodrigues Alves Carnietto took all physiological measurements. André Rodrigues dos Reis conducted the sugar analysis and interpreted the data. Mônica Sartori Camargo, Ana Claudia Pacheco, and Marcelo de Almeida Silva interpreted the physiological data and contributed to writing the latest version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Mônica Sartori Camargo.

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Camargo, M.S., Baltieri, G.J., Santos, H.L. et al. Silicon Fertilization Enhances Photosynthetic Activity and Sugar Metabolism in Sugarcane Cultivars under Water Deficit at the Ripening Phase. Silicon 15, 3021–3033 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12633-022-02236-y

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