Abstract
Soil salinity and drought are major abiotic factors that limit crop growth and productivity worldwide. Indeed, soil salinity and drought disrupt the cellular ionic and osmotic balance. Although silicon (Si) is generally considered nonessential for plant growth and developments, Si uptake by plants can alleviate both biotic and abiotic stresses. Silicon application could therefore improve crop production under adverse climate and soil conditions. Several reports have reviewed the benefits of silicon application on crop growth, but the mechanisms of silicon action have not been systematically discussed. Here, we review recent advances on silicon uptake, transport, and accumulation in plants and how silicon alleviates salinity toxicity and drought stress. The major points are the following: (1) both passive and active silicon uptake may coexist in plants; (2) although silicon transporters have been identified in some plants, more silicon transporters remain to be identified, and the process of silicon transport needs further clarification; (3) the mechanisms for silicon-mediated tolerance of salinity and drought have been extensively investigated at both physiological and biochemical levels. The physiological aspects include increasing water uptake by roots, maintaining nutrient balance, decreasing water loss from leaves, and promoting photosynthetic rate. At the biochemical level, silicon may improve antioxidant defense abilities by increasing the activities of antioxidant enzymes and the contents of non enzymatic antioxidants; silicon may also contribute to osmotic adjustment and increase photosynthetic enzymatic activities; and (4) silicon can regulate the levels of endogenous plant hormones under stress conditions, whereas silicon involvement in signaling and regulation of gene expression related to increasing stress tolerance remains to be explored.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adatia MH, Besford RT (1986) The effects of silicon on cucumber plants grown in recirculating nutrient solution. Ann Bot 58:343–351
Agarie S, Agata W, Kubota F, Kaufman PB (1992) Physiological roles of silicon in photosynthesis and dry matter production in rice plants. Jpn J Crop Sci 60:200–206. doi:10.1626/jcs.61.200 (in Japanese)
Agarie S, Hanaoka N, Ueno O, Miyazaki A, Kubota F, Agata W, Kaufman PB (1998a) Effects of silicon on tolerance to water deficit and heat stress in rice plants (Oryza sativa L.), monitored by electrolyte leakage. Plant Prod Sci 1:96–103
Agarie S, Uchida H, Agata W, Kubota F, Kaufman PB (1998b) Effects of silicon on transpiration and leaf conductance in rice plants (Oryza sativa L.). Plant Prod Sci 1:89–95
Ahmad R, Zaheer SH, Ismail S (1992) Role of silicon in salt tolerance of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Plant Sci 85:43–50. doi:10.1016/0168-9452(92)90092-z
Ahmed M, Hassen FU, Khurshid Y (2011a) Does silicon and irrigation have impact on drought tolerance mechanism of sorghum? Agric Water Manag 98:1808–1812. doi:10.1016/j.agwat.2011.07.003
Ahmed M, Hassen FU, Qadeer U, Aslam MA (2011b) Silicon application and drought tolerance mechanism of sorghum. Afr J Agric Res 6:594–607. doi:10.5897/ajar10.626
Ahsan N, Renault J, Komatsu S (2009) Recent developments in the application of proteomics to the analysis of plant responses to heavy metals. Proteomics 9:2602–2621. doi:10.1002/pmic.200800935
Al-aghabary K, Zhu ZJ, Shi QH (2004) Influence of silicon supply on chlorophyll content, chlorophyll fluorescence, and antioxidative enzyme activities in tomato plants under salt stress. J Plant Nutr 27:2101–2115. doi:10.1081/lpla-200034641
Ali M (2013) The greenhouse effect. Climate change impacts on plant biomass growth. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 13–27. doi: 10.1007/978-94-007-5370-9
Ali MA, Lee CH, Kim PJ (2008) Effect of silicate fertilizer on reducing methane emission during rice cultivation. Biol Fertil Soils 44:597–604. doi:10.1007/s00374-007-0243-5
An YY, Liang ZS (2013) Drought tolerance of Periploca sepiumduring seed germination: antioxidant defense and compatible solutes accumulation. Acta Physiol Plant 35:959–967. doi:10.1007/s11738-012-1139-z
Arnon DI, Stout PR (1939) The essentiality of certain elements in minute quantity for plants with special reference to copper. Plant Physiol 14:371–375
Ashraf M, Foolad MR (2007) Roles of glycine betaine and proline in improving plant abiotic stress resistance. Environ Exp Bot 59:206–216. doi:10.1016/j.envexpbot.2005.12.006
Ashraf M, Ahmad A, McNeilly T (2001) Growth and photosynthetic characteristics in pearl millet under water stress and different potassium supply. Photosynthetica 39:389–394. doi:10.1023/a:1015182310754
Ashraf M, Rahmatullah, Afzal M, Ahmed R, Mujeeb F, Sarwar A, Ali L (2010a) Alleviation of detrimental effects of NaCl by silicon nutrition in salt-sensitive and salt-tolerant genotypes of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.). Plant Soil 326:381–391. doi:10.1007/s11104-009-0019-9
Ashraf M, Rahmatullah, Ahmad R, Bhatti AS, Afzal M, Sarwar A, Maqsood MA, Kanwal S (2010b) Amelioration of salt stress in sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) by supplying potassium and silicon in hydroponics. Pedosphere 20:153–162. doi:10.1016/s1002-0160(10)60003-3
Balibrea ME, Rus-alvarez AM, Bolarfn MC, Pérez-alfocea F (1997) Fast changes in soluble carbohydrates and proline contents in tomato seedlings in response to ionic and non ionic iso-osmotic stresses. J Plant Physiol 151:221–226. doi:10.1016/s0176-1617(97)80156-3
Barber SA (1984) Soil nutrient bioavailability: a mechanistic approach. Wiley-Interscience, New York
Bauer P, Elbaum R, Weiss IM (2011) Calcium and silicon mineralization in land plants: transport, structure and function. Plant Sci 180:746–756. doi:10.1016/j.plantsci.2011.01.019
Blumwald E (2000) Sodium transport and salt tolerance in plants. Curr Opin Cell Biol 12:431–434. doi:10.1016/s0955-0674(00)00112-5
Bohnert HJ, Shen B (1999) Transformation and compatible solutes. Sci Hortic 78:237–260. doi:10.1016/s0304-4238(98)00195-2
Brunings AM, Datnoff LE, Ma JF, Mitani N, Nagamura Y, Rathinasabapathi B, Kirst M (2009) Differential gene expression of rice in response to silicon and rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. Ann Appl Biol 155:161–170. doi:10.1111/j.1744-7348.2009.00347.x
Cattivelli L, Rizza F, Badeck FW, Mazzucotelli E, Mastrangelo AM, Francia E, Marè C, Tondellia A, Stanca AM (2008) Drought tolerance improvement in crop plants: An integrated view from breeding to genomics. Field Crop Res 105:1–14. doi:10.1016/j.fcr.2007.07.004
Chakrabarti N, Mukherji S (2003) Effect of phytohormone pretreatment on nitrogen metabolism in Vigna radiata under salt stress. Biol Plant 46:63–66. doi:10.1023/a:1022358016487
Chattopadhayay MK, Tiwari BS, Chattopadhayay G, Bose A, Sengupta DN, Ghosh B (2002) Protective role of exogenous polyamines on salinity-stressed rice (Oryza sativa) plants. Physiol Plant 116:192–199. doi:10.1034/j.1399-3054.2002.1160208.x
Chen W, Yao XQ, Cai KZ, Chen J (2011) Silicon alleviates drought stress of rice plants by improving plant water status, photosynthesis and mineral nutrient absorption. Biol Trace Elem Res 142:67–76. doi:10.1007/s12011-010-8742-x
Chiba Y, Mitani N, Yamaji N, Ma JF (2009) HvLsi1 is a silicon influx transporter in barley. Plant J 57:810–818. doi:10.1111/j.1365-313x.2008.03728.x
Cooke J, Leishman MR (2011) Is plant ecology more siliceous than we realise? Trends Plant Sci 16:61–68. doi:10.1016/j.tplants.2010.10.003
De Vleesschauwer D, Cornelis P, Höfte M (2006) Redox-active pyocyanin secreted by Pseudomonas aeruginosa 7NSK2 triggers systemic resistance to Magnaporthe grisea but enhances Rhizoctonia solani susceptibility in rice. Mol Plant Microbe Interact 19:1406–1419. doi:10.1094/mpmi-19-1406
Detmann KC, Araújo L, Martins SCV, Sanglard LMVP, Reis JV, Detmann E, Rodrigues FÁ, Nunes-Nesi A, Fernie AR, DaMatta FA (2012) Silicon nutrition increases grain yield, which, in turn, exerts a feed-forward stimulation of photosynthetic rates via enhanced mesophyll conductance and alters primary metabolism in rice. New Phytol 196:752–762. doi:10.1111/j.1469-8137.2012.04299.x
Ding TP, Ma GR, Shui MX, Wan DF, Li RH (2005) Silicon isotope study on rice plants from the Zhejiang province, China. Chem Geol 218:41–50. doi:10.1016/j.chemgeo.2005.01.018
Dodd IC, Davies WJ (2004) Hormones and the regulation of water balance. In: Davies PJ (ed) Plant hormones: biosynthesis, signal transduction, action, 3rd edn. Kluwer, Dordrecht, pp 519–548
Eneji AE, Inanaga S, Muranaka S, Li J, Hattori T, An P, Tsuji W (2008) Growth and nutrient use in four grasses under drought stress as mediated by silicon fertilizers. J Plant Nutr 31:355–365. doi:10.1080/01904160801894913
Epstein E (1994) The anomaly of silicon in plant biology. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 91:11–17
Epstein E, Bloom AJ (2005) Mineral nutrition of plants: principles and perspectives, 2nd edn. Sinauer, Sunderland
Faiyue B, Vijayalakshmi C, Nawaz S, Nagato Y, Taketa S, Ichii M, Al-Azzawi MJ, Flowers TJ (2010) Studies on sodium bypass flow in lateral rootless mutants lrt1 and lrt2, and crown rootless mutant crl1 of rice (Oryza sativa L.). Plant Cell Environ 33:687–701. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3040.2009.02077.x
Farooq M, Wahid A, Kobayashi N, Fujita D, Basra SMA (2009) Plant drought stress: effects, mechanisms and management. Agron Sustain Dev 29:185–212. doi:10.1007/978-90-481-2666-8_12
Fauteux F, Rémus-Borel W, Menzies JG, Bélanger RR (2005) Silicon and plant disease resistance against pathogenic fungi. FEMS Microbiol Lett 249:1–6. doi:10.1016/j.femsle.2005.06.034
Feng YQ (2000) Siliceous fertilizer to become a new fertilizer product in expansion of agriculture in China. J Chem Fert Ind 27(4):9–11, 36. (in Chinese)
Fleck AT, Nye T, Repenning C, Stahl F, Zahn M, Schenk MK (2011) Silicon enhances suberization and lignification in roots of rice (Oryza sativa). J Exp Bot 62:2001–2011. doi:10.1093/jxb/erq392
Flowers TJ, Hajibagueri MA, Clipson NCW (1986) Halophytes. Q Rev Biol 61:313–337
Fu FF, Akagi T, Yabuki S (2002) Origin of silica particles found in the cortex of Matteuccia roots. Soil Sci Soc Am J 66:1265–1271. doi:10.2136/sssaj2002.1265
Gao X, Zou C, Wang L, Zhang F (2004) Silicon improves water use efficiency in maize plants. J Plant Nutr 27:1457–1470. doi:10.1081/pln-200025865
Gao X, Zou C, Wang L, Zhang F (2006) Silicon decreases transpiration rate and conductance from stomata of maize plants. J Plant Nutr 29:1637–1647. doi:10.1080/01904160600851494
Gill SS, Tuteja N (2010) Reactive oxygen species and antioxidant machinery in abiotic stress tolerance in crop plants. Plant Physiol Biochem 48:909–930. doi:10.1016/j.plaphy.2010.08.016
Gong HJ, Chen KM (2012) The regulatory role of silicon on water relations, photosynthetic gas exchange, and carboxylation activities of wheat leaves in field drought conditions. Acta Physiol Plant 34:1589–1594. doi:10.1007/s11738-012-0954-6
Gong HJ, Chen KM, Chen GC, Wang SM, Zhang CL (2003) Effects of silicon on growth of wheat under drought. J Plant Nutr 26:1055–1063. doi:10.1081/pln-120020075
Gong HJ, Zhu XY, Chen KM, Wang S, Zhang CL (2005) Silicon alleviates oxidative damage of wheat plants in pots under drought. Plant Sci 169:313–321. doi:10.1016/j.plantsci.2005.02.023
Gong HJ, Randall DP, Flowers TJ (2006) Silicon deposition in root reduces sodium uptake in rice (Oryza sativa L.) seedlings by reducing bypass flow. Plant Cell Environ 29:1970–1979. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3040.2006.01572.x
Gong HJ, Chen KM, Zhao ZG, Chen GC, Zhou WJ (2008) Effects of silicon on defense of wheat against oxidative stress under drought at different develop mental stages. Biol Plant 52:592–596. doi:10.1007/s10535-008-0118-0
Gong HJ, Blackmore D, Clingeleffer P, Sykes S, Jha D, Tester M, Walker R (2011) Contrast in chloride exclusion between two grapevine genotypes and its variation in their hybrid progeny. J Exp Bot 62:989–999. doi:10.1093/jxb/erq326
Groppa MD, Benavides MP (2008) Polyamines and abiotic stress: recent advances. Amino Acids 34:35–45. doi:10.1007/s00726-007-0501-8
Guerrier G (1996) Fluxes of Na+, K+ and Cl-, and osmotic adjustment in Lycopersicon pimpinellifolium and L. esculentum during short- and long-term exposures to NaCl. Physiol Plant 97:583–591. doi:10.1111/j.1399-3054.1996.tb00519.x
Gunes A, Ali I, Bagci EG, Pilbeam DJ (2007a) Silicon-mediated changes of some physiological and enzymatic parameters symptomatic for oxidative stress in spinach and tomato grown in sodic-B toxic soil. Plant Soil 290:103–114. doi:10.1007/s11104-006-9137-9
Gunes A, Inal A, Bagci EG, Coban S (2007b) Silicon-mediated changes on some physiological and enzymatic parameters symptomatic of oxidative stress in barley grown in sodic-B toxic soil. J Plant Physiol 164:807–811. doi:10.1016/j.jplph.2006.07.011
Gunes A, Pilbeam DJ, Inal A, Coban S (2008) Influence of silicon on sunflower cultivars under drought stress. I: growth, antioxidant mechanisms, and lipid peroxidation. Commun Soil Sci Plant Anal 39:1885–1903. doi:10.1080/00103620802134651
Guntzer F, Keller C, Meunier J-D (2012) Benefits of plant silicon for crops: a review. Agron Sustain Dev 32:201–213. doi:10.1007/s13593-011-0039-8
Gupta K, Dey A, Gupta B (2013) Plant polyamines in abiotic stress responses. Acta Physiol Plant 35:2015–2036. doi:10.1007/s11738-013-1239-4
Gzik A (1997) Accumulation of proline and pattern of α-amino acids in sugar beet plants in response to osmotic, water and salt stress. Environ Exp Bot 36:29–38. doi:10.1016/0098-8472(95)00046-1
Halford NG (2011) The role of plant breeding and biotechnology in meeting the challenge of global warming. In: Carayannis E (ed) Planet earth 2011—global warming challenges and opportunities for policy and practice. ISBN: 978-953-307-733-8, InTech. http://www.intechopen.com/books/planet-earth-2011-global-warming-challenges-and-opportunities-for-policy-and-practice/the-role-of-plant-breeding-and-biotechnology-in-meeting-the-challenge-of-global-warming
Hashemi A, Abdolzadeh A, Sadeghipour HR (2010) Beneficial effects of silicon nutrition in alleviating salinity stress in hydroponically grown canola, Brassica napus L. plants. Soil Sci Plant Nutr 56:244–253. doi:10.1111/j.1747-0765.2009.00443.x
Hattori T, Inanaga S, Tanimoto E, Lux A, Luxova M, Sugimoto Y (2003) Silicon-induced changes in viscoelastic properties of sorghum root cell walls. Plant Cell Physiol 44:743–749. doi:10.1093/pcp/pcg090
Hattori T, Inanaga S, Araki H, An P, Morita S, Luxová M, Lux A (2005) Application of silicon enhanced drought tolerance in Sorghum bicolour. Physiol Plant 123:459–466. doi:10.1111/j.1399-3054.2005.00481.x
Hattori T, Sonobe K, Araki H, Inanaga S, An P, Morita S (2008a) Silicon application by sorghum through the alleviation of stress-induced increase in hydraulic resistance. J Plant Nutr 31:1482–1495. doi:10.1080/01904160802208477
Hattori T, Sonobe K, Inanaga S, An P, Morita S (2008b) Effects of silicon on photosynthesis of young cucumber seedlings under osmotic stress. J Plant Nutr 31:1046–1058. doi:10.1080/01904160801928380
Heffernan O (2013) The dry facts. Nature 501:S2–S3. doi:10.1038/501S2a
Henriet C, Draye X, Oppitz I, Swennen R, Delvaux B (2006) Effects, distribution and uptake of silicon in banana (Musa spp.) under controlled conditions. Plant Soil 287:359–374. doi:10.1007/s11104-006-9085-4
Hohmann-Marriott MF, Blankenship RE (2012) The photosynthetic world. In: Eaton-Rye JJ (ed) Photosynthesis. Springer, Dodrecht, pp 3–32. doi:10.1007/978-94-007-1579-0
Isa M, Bai S, Yokoyama T, Ma JF, Ishibashi Y, Yuasa T, Iwaya-Inoue M (2010) Silicon enhances growth independent of silica deposition in a low-silica rice mutant, lsi1. Plant Soil 331:361–375. doi:10.1007/s11104-009-0258-9
Jugdaohsingh R, Kinrade SD, Powell JJ (2008) Is there a biochemical role for silicon? Met Ions Biol Med 10:45–55
Karmoker JL, Von Steveninck RFM (1979) The effect of abscisic acid on the uptake and distribution of ions in intact seedlings of Phaseolus vulgaris cv. Redland Pioneer. Physiol Plant 45:453–459. doi:10.1111/j.1399-3054.1979.tb02613.x
Kaya C, Tuna L, Higgs D (2006) Effect of silicon on plant growth and mineral nutrition of maize grown under water-stress conditions. J Plant Nutr 29:1469–1480. doi:10.1080/01904160600837238
Kerstiens G (1996) Cuticular water permeability and its physiological significance. J Exp Bot 47:1813–1832. doi:10.1093/jxb/47.12.1813
Khan MA, Ungar IA, Showalter AM (2000) Effects of sodium chloride treatments on growth and ion accumulation of the halophyte Haloxylon recurvum. Commun Soil Sci Plant Anal 31:2763–2774. doi:10.1080/00103620009370625
Kim YH, Khan AL, Hamayun M, Kang SM, Beom YJ, Lee IJ (2011) Influence of short-term silicon application on endogenous physiohormonal levels of Oryza sativa L. under wounding stress. Biol Trace Elem Res 144:1175–1185. doi:10.1007/s12011-011-9047-4
Kim YH, Khan AL, Waqas M, Shim JK, Kim DH, Lee KY, Lee IJ (2013) Silicon application to rice root zone influenced the phytohormonal and antioxidant responses under salinity stress. J Plant Growth Regul. doi:10.1007/s00344-013-9356-2
Kotula L, Steudle E (2008) Measurements of oxygen permeability coefficients of rice (Oryza sativa L.) roots using a new perfusion technique. J Exp Bot 60:567–580. doi:10.1093/jxb/ern300
Krishnamurthy P, Ranathunge K, Franke R, Prakash HS, Schreiber L, Mathew MK (2009) The role of root apoplastic transport barriers in salt tolerance of rice (Oryza sativa L.). Planta 230:119–134. doi:10.1007/s00425-009-0930-6
Kumar AP, Bandhu AD (2005) Salt tolerance and salinity effects on plants: a review. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 60:324–349. doi:10.1016/j.ecoenv.2004.06.010
Lee SK, Sohn EY, Hamayun M, Yoon JY, Lee IJ (2010) Effect of silicon on growth and salinity stress of soybean plant grown under hydroponic system. Agrofor Syst 80:333–340. doi:10.1007/s10457-010-9299-6
Liang YC (1998) Effects of Si on leaf ultrastructure, chlorophyll content and photosynthetic activity in barley under salt stress. Pedosphere 8:289–296
Liang YC (1999) Effects of silicon on enzyme activity, and sodium, potassium and calcium concentration in barley under salt stress. Plant Soil 209:217–224. doi:10.1023/a:1004526604913
Liang YC, Ding RX (2002) Influence of silicon on microdistribution of mineral ions in roots of salt-stressed barley as associated with salt tolerance in plants. Sci China Ser C 45:298–308. doi:10.1360/02yc9033
Liang YC, Shen QR, Shen ZG, Ma TS (1996) Effects of silicon on salinity tolerance of two barley cultivars. J Plant Nutr 19:173–183. doi:10.1080/01904169609365115
Liang YC, Chen Q, Liu Q, Zhang WH, Ding RX (2003) Exogenous silicon (Si) increases antioxidant enzyme activity and reduces lipid peroxidation in roots of salt-stressed barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). J Plant Physiol 160:1157–1164. doi:10.1078/0176-1617-01065
Liang YC, Si J, Römheld V (2005a) Silicon uptake and transport is an active process in Cucumis sativus L. New Phytol 167:797–804. doi:10.1111/j.1469-8137.2005.01463.x
Liang YC, Zhang WH, Chen Q, Ding RX (2005b) Effects of silicon on H+-ATPase and H+-PPase activity, fatty acid composition and fluidity of tonoplast vesicles from roots of salt-stressed barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). Environ Exp Bot 53:29–37. doi:10.1016/j.envexpbot.2004.02.010
Liang YC, Hua HX, Zhu Y-G, Zhang J, Cheng CM, Römheld V (2006a) Importance of plant species and external silicon concentration to active silicon uptake and transport. New Phytol 172:63–72. doi:10.1111/j.1469-8137.2006.01797.x
Liang YC, Zhang WH, Chen Q, Liu YL, Ding RX (2006b) Effect of exogenous silicon (Si) on H+-ATPase activity, phospholipids and fluidity of plasma membrane in leaves of salt-stressed barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). Environ Exp Bot 57:212–219. doi:10.1016/j.envexpbot.2005.05.012
Liang YC, Sun WC, Zhu YG, Christie P (2007) Mechanisms of silicon-mediated alleviation of abiotic stresses in higher plants: a review. Environ Pollut 147:422–428. doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2006.06.008
Lin YC, Zhang D, Xiao YM (2010) Development of water saving cropping system on potato in northwest regions in China. Chin Agri Sci Bull 26:99–103 (in Chinese with English abstract)
Liu YX, Xu XZ (2007) Effects of silicon on polyamine types and forms in leaf of Zizyphus jujuba cv. Jinsi-xiaozao under salt stress. J Nanjing For Univ 31:27–32. doi:10.3969/j.jssn.1000-2006.2007.04.006 (in Chinese with English abstract)
Liu WG, Wang LQ, Bai YH (2003) Research progress in the beneficial elements—silicon for plants. Acta Bot Boreali Occidentalia Sin 23:2248–2253 (in Chinese with English abstract)
Lobato AKS, Coimbra GK, Neto MAM, Costa RCL, Filho BGS, Neto CFO, Luz LM, Barreto AGT, Pereira BWF, Alves GAR, Monteiro BS, Marochio CA (2009) Protective action of silicon on water relations and photosynthetic pigments in pepper plants induced to water deficit. Res J Biol Sci 4:617–623. doi:10.3923/rjbsci.2009.617.623
Ma JF (2010) Si transporters in higher plant. In: Jhon PT, Bienert PG (eds) MIPs and their role in the exchange of materials. Landes Bioscience, Texas, pp 99–109
Ma JF, Takahashi E (1990) Effect of silicon on the growth and phosphorus uptake of rice. Plant Soil 126:115–119. doi:10.1007/bf00041376
Ma JF, Takahashi E (2002) Soil, fertiliser, and plant silicon research in Janpan. Elsevier, Amsterdam
Ma JF, Yamaji N (2006) Silicon uptake and accumulation in higher plants. Trends Plant Sci 11:392–397. doi:10.1016/j.tplants.2006.06.007
Ma JF, Yamaji N (2008) Functions and transport of silicon in plants. Cell Mol Life Sci 65:3049–3057. doi:10.1007/s00018-008-7580-x
Ma JF, Miyake Y, Takahashi E (2001) Silicon as a beneficial element for crop plants. In: Datonoff L, Snyder G, Korndorfer G (eds) Silicon in agriculture. Elsevier Science, New York, pp 17–39. doi:10.1016/s0928-3420(01)80006-9
Ma JF, Tamai K, Yamaji N, Mitani N, Konishi S, Katsuhara M, Ishiguro M, Murata Y, Yano M (2006) A silicon transporter in rice. Nature 440:688–691. doi:10.1038/nature04590
Ma JF, Yamaji N, Mitani N, Tamai K, Konishi S, Fujiwara T, Katsuhara M, Yano M (2007) An efflux transporter of silicon in rice. Nature 448:209–213. doi:10.1038/nature05964
Ma CH, Yang L, Hu SY (2009) Silicon supplying ability of soil and advances of siliscon fetilizer research. Hubei Agri Sci 4:987–989. doi:10.3969/j.issn.0439-8114.2009.04.066 (in Chinese with English abstract)
Mahajan S, Tuteja N (2005) Cold, salinity and drought stresses: an overview. Arch Biochem Biophys 444:139–158. doi:10.1016/j.abb.2005.10.018
Maksimović JD, Bogdanović J, Maksimović V, Nikolic M (2007) Silicon modulates the metabolism and utilization of phenolic compounds in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) grown at excess manganese. J Plant Nutr Soil Sci 170:739–744. doi:10.1002/jpln.200700101
Mali M, Aery NC (2008) Influence of silicon on growth, relative water contents and uptake of silicon, calcium and potassium in wheat grown in nutrient solution. J Plant Nutr 31:1867–1876. doi:10.1080/01904160802402666
Mansour MMF (1998) Protection of plasma membrane of onion epidermal cells by glycinebetaine and proline against NaCl stress. Plant Physiol Biochem 36:767–772. doi:10.1016/s0981-9428(98)80028-4
Martin-Tanguy J (2001) Metabolism and function of polyamines in plants: recent development (new approaches). Plant Growth Regul 34:135–148. doi:10.1023/a:1013343106574
Mateos-Naranjo E, Andrades-Moreno L, Davy AJ (2013) Silicon alleviates deleterious effects of high salinity on the halophytic grass Spartina densiflora. Plant Physiol Biochem 63:115–121. doi:10.1016/j.plaphy.2012.11.015
Matoh T, Murata S, Takahashi E (1991) Effect of silicate application on photosynthesis of rice plants. Jpn J Soil Sci Plant Nutr 62:248–251 (in Japanese)
Maurel C, Verdoucq L, Luu DT, Santon V (2008) Plant aquaporins: membrane channels with multiple integrated functions. Annu Rev Plant Biol 59:595–624. doi:10.1146/annurev.arplant.59.032607.092734
Mazumdar J (2011) Phytoliths of pteridophytes. S Afr J Bot 77:10–19. doi:10.1016/j.sajb.2010.07.020
Meyer S, Genty S (1998) Mapping intercellular CO2 mole fraction (Ci) in Rosa rubiginosa leaves fed with abscisic acid by using chlorophyll fluorescence imaging: significance of Ci estimated from leaf gas exchange. Plant Physiol 116:947–957. doi:10.1104/pp.116.3.947
Millar AA, Duysen ME, Wilkerson GE (1968) Internal water balance of barley under soil moisture stress. Plant Physiol 43:968–972. doi:10.1104/pp.43.6.968
Ming DF, Pei ZF, Naeem MS, Gong HJ, Zhou WJ (2012) Silicon alleviates PEG-induced water-deficit stress in upland rice seedlings by enhancing osmotic adjustment. J Agron Crop Sci 198:14–26. doi:10.1111/j.1439-037X.2011.00486.x
Mitani N, Ma JF (2005) Uptake system of silicon in different plant species. J Exp Bot 56:1255–1261. doi:10.1093/jxb/eri121
Mitani N, Ma JF, Iwashita T (2005) Identification of the silicon form in xylem sap of rice (Oryza sativa L.). Plant Cell Physiol 46:279–283. doi:10.1093/pcp/pci018
Mitani N, Chiba Y, Yamaji N, Ma JF (2009a) Identification and characterization of maize and barley Lsi2-like silicon efflux transporters reveals a distinct silicon uptake system from that in rice. Plant Cell 21:2133–2142. doi:10.1105/tpc.109.067884
Mitani N, Yamaji N, Ma JF (2009b) Identification of maize silicon influx transporters. Plant Cell Physiol 50:5–12. doi:10.1093/pcp/pcn110
Mitani N, Yamaji N, Ago Y, Iwasaki K, Ma JF (2011) Isolation and functional characterization of an influx silicon transporter in two pumpkin cultivars contrasting in silicon accumulation. Plant J 66:231–240. doi:10.1111/j.1365-313x.2011.04483.x
Miyake Y (1993) Silica in soils and plants. Sci Rep Fac Agr Okayama Univ Jpn 81:61–79
Montpetit J, Vivancos J, Mitani-Ueno N, Yamaji N, Rémus-Borel W, Belzile F, Ma JF, Bélanger RR (2012) Cloning, functional characterization and heterologous expression of TaLsi1, a wheat silicon transporter gene. Plant Mol Biol 79:35–46. doi:10.1007/s11103-012-9892-3
Moussa HR (2006) Influence of exogenous application of silicon on physiological response of salt-stressed maize (Zea mays L.). Int J Agri Biol 8:293–297
Nayyar H, Walia DP (2003) Water stress induced proline accumulation in contrasting wheat genotypes as affected by calcium and abscisic acid. Biol Plant 46:275–279. doi:10.1023/a:1022867030790
Nikolic M, Nikolic N, Liang Y, Kirkby EA, Römheld V (2007) Germanium-68 as an adequate tracer for silicon transport in plants. Characterization of silicon uptake in different crop species. Plant Physiol 143:495–503. doi:10.1104/pp.106.090845
Nwugo CC, Huerta AJ (2011) The effect of silicon on the leaf proteome of rice (Oryza sativa L.) plants under cadmium-stress. J Proteome Res 10:518–528. doi:10.1021/pr100716h
Ortega L, Fry SC, Taleisnik E (2006) Why are Chloris gayana leaves shorter in salt-affected plants? Analyses in the elongation zone. J Exp Bot 57:3945–3952. doi:10.1093/jxb/erl168
Pei ZF, Ming DF, Liu D, Wan GL, Geng XX, Gong HJ, Zhou WJ (2010) Silicon improves the tolerance to water-deficit stress induced by polyethylene glycol in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seedlings. J Plant Growth Regul 29:106–115. doi:10.1007/s00344-009-9120-9
Pisinaras V, Tsihrintzis VA, Petalas C, Ouzounis K (2010) Soil salinization in the agricultural lands of Rhodope District, northeastern Greece. Environ Monit Assess 166:79–94. doi:10.1007/s10661-009-0986-6
Rasool S, Hameed A, Azooz MM, Muneeb-u-Rehman, Siddiqi TO, Parvaiz Ahmad P (2013) Salt stress: causes, types and responses of plants. In: Ahmad P, Azooz MM, Prasad MNV (eds) Ecophysiology and responses of plants under salt stress. Springer, New York, pp 1–24. doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-4747-4_1
Raven JA (2001) Silicon transport at the cell and tissue level. In: Datnoff LE, Snyder GH, Korndörfer GH (eds) Silicon in agriculture. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp 41–55. doi:10.1016/s0928-3420(01)80007-0
Reddy AR, Chaitanya KV, Vivekanandanb M (2004) Drought-induced responses of photosynthesis and antioxidant metabolism in higher plants. J Plant Physiol 161:1189–1202. doi:10.1016/j.jplph.2004.01.013
Richmond KE, Sussman M (2003) Got silicon? The non-essential beneficial plant nutrient. Curr Opin Plant Biol 6:268–272. doi:10.1016/s1369-5266(03)00041-4
Romero-Aranda MR, Jurado O, Cuartero J (2006) Silicon alleviates the deleterious salt effect on tomato plant growth by improving plant water status. J Plant Physiol 163:847–855. doi:10.1016/j.jplph.2005.05.010
Rothamsted Research (2013) Rothamsted research's classical experiment “Hoos barley—started in 1852”. http://www.rothamsted.ac.uk/Content-Section=Resources&Page=ClassicalExperiments.html. accessed 19 September 2013
Santa-Gruz A, Acosta M, Pérez-Alfocea F, Bolarin MC (1997) Changes in free polyamine levels induced by salt stress in leaves of cultivated and wild tomato species. Physiol Plant 101:341–346. doi:10.1111/j.1399-3054.1997.tb01006.x
Saqib M, Zörb C, Schubert S (2008) Silicon-mediated improvement in the salt resistance of wheat (Triticum aestivum) results from increased sodium exclusion and resistance to oxidative stress. Funct Plant Biol 35:633–639. doi:10.1071/fp08100
Savant NK, Datnoff LE, Snyder GH (1997) Depletion of plant-available silicon in soils: a possible cause of declining rice yields. Commun Soil Sci Plant Anal 28:1245–1252. doi:10.1080/00103629709369870
Savvas D, Giotis D, Chatzieustratiou E, Bakea M, Patakioutas G (2009) Silicon supply in soilless cultivations of zucchini alleviates stress induced by salinity and powdery mildew infections. Environ Exp Bot 65:11–17. doi:10.1016/j.envexpbot.2008.07.004
Seckin B, Sekmen AH, Türkan İ (2009) An enhancing effect of exogenous mannitol on the antioxidant enzyme activities in roots of wheat under salt stress. J Plant Growth Regul 28:12–20. doi:10.1007/s00344-008-9068-1
Shahzad M, Zörb C, Geilfus CM, Mühling KH (2013) Apoplastic Na+ in Vicia faba leaves rises after short-term salt stress and is remedied by silicon. J Agron Crop Sci 199:161–170. doi:10.1111/jac.12003
Shi H, Ishitani M, Kim C, Zhu JK (2000) The Arabidopsis thaliana salt tolerance gene SOS1 encodes a putative Na+/H+ exchanger. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 97:6896–6901. doi:10.1073/pnas.120170197
Shi Y, Wang YC, Flowers TJ, Gong HJ (2013) Silicon decreases chloride transport in rice (Oryza sativa L.) in saline conditions. J Plant Physiol 170:847–853. doi:10.1016/j.jplph.2013.01.018
Siddique MRB, Hamid A, Islam MS (2000) Drought stress effects on water relations of wheat. Bot Bull Acad Sin 41:35–39
Sommer M, Kaczorek D, Kuzyakov Y, Breuer J (2006) Silicon pools and fluxes in soils and landscapes—a review. J Plant Nutr Soil Sci 169:310–329. doi:10.1002/jpln.200521981
Sonobe K, Hattori T, An P, Tsuji W, Eneji AE, Kobayashi S, Kawamura Y, Tanaka K, Inanaga S (2011) Effect of silicon application on sorghum root responses to water stress. J Plant Nutr 34:71–82. doi:10.1080/01904167.2011.531360
Soylemezoglu G, Demir K, Inal A, Gunes A (2009) Effect of silicon on antioxidant and stomatal response of two grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) rootstocks grown in boron toxic, saline and boron toxic-saline soil. Sci Hortic Amst 123:240–246. doi:10.1016/j.scienta.2009.09.005
Sutka M, Li G, Boudet J, Boursiac Y, Doumas P, Maurel C (2011) Natural variation of root hydraulics in Arabidopsis grown in normal and salt-stressed conditions. Plant Physiol 155:1264–1276. doi:10.1104/pp. 110.163113
Takahashi E, Hino K (1978) Silica uptake by plant with special reference to the forms of dissolved silica. Jpn J Soil Sci Manure 49:357–360
Tuna AL, Kaya C, Higgs D, Murillo-Amador B, Aydemir S, Girgin AR (2008) Silicon improves salinity tolerance in wheat plants. Environ Exp Bot 62:10–16. doi:10.1016/j.envexpbot.2007.06.006
Van Bockhaven J, De Vleesschauwer D, Höfte M (2013) Towards establishing broad-spectrum disease resistance in plants: silicon leads the way. J Exp Bot 64:1281–1293. doi:10.1093/jxb/ers329
Wang XS, Han JG (2007) Effects of NaCl and silicon on ion distribution in the roots, shoots and leaves of two alfalfa cultivars with different salt tolerance. Soil Sci Plant Nutr 53:278–285. doi:10.1111/j.1747-0765.2007.00135.x
Wang Y, Mopper S, Hasenstein KH (2001) Effects of salinity on endogenous ABA, IAA, JA, and SA in Iris hexagona. J Chem Ecol 27:327–342. doi:10.1023/a:1005632506230
Wang Z, Gerstein M, Snyder M (2009) RNA-Seq: a revolutionary tool for transcriptomics. Nat Rev Genet 10:57–63. doi:10.1038/nrg2484
Watanabe S, Kojima K, Ide Y, Sasaki S (2000) Effects of saline and osmotic stress on proline and sugar accumulation in Populus euphratica in vitro. Plant Cell Tissue Organ 63:199–206. doi:10.1023/a:1010619503680
Whiteman PC (1965) Control of carbon dioxide and water vapour exchange between plantand atmosphere. Dissertation, Hebrew University, Jerusalem
Wong YC, Heits A, Ville DJ (1972) Foliar symptoms of silicon deficiency in the sugarcane plant. Proc Cong Int Soc Sugarcane Technol 14:766–776
Xiong J, Zhang L, Fu GF, Yang YJ, Zhu C, Tao LX (2012) Drought-induced proline accumulation is uninvolved with increased nitric oxide, which alleviates drought stress by decreasing transpiration in rice. J Plant Res 125:155–164. doi:10.1007/s10265-011-0417-y
Yamaji N, Ma JF (2009) A transporter at the node responsible for intervascular transfer of silicon in rice. Plant Cell 21:2878–2883. doi:10.1105/tpc.109.069831
Yamaji N, Mitani N, Ma JF (2008) A transporter regulating silicon distribution in rice shoots. Plant Cell 20:1381–1389. doi:10.1105/tpc.108.059311
Yamaji N, Chiba Y, Mitani-Ueno N, Ma JF (2012) Functional characterization of a silicon transporter gene implicated in silicon distribution in barley. Plant Physiol 160:1491–1497. doi:10.1104/pp. 112.204578
Ye T, Shi PJ, Wang JA, Liu LY, Fan YD, Hu JF (2012) China's drought disaster risk management: perspective of severe droughts in 2009–2010. Int J Disaster Risk Sci 3:84–97. doi:10.1007/s13753-012-0009-z
Yin LN, Wang SW, Li JY, Tanaka K, Oka M (2013) Application of silicon improves salt tolerance through ameliorating osmotic and ionic stresses in the seedling of Sorghum bicolor. Acta Physiol Plant. doi:10.1007/s11738-013-1343-5
Yoshida S (1965) Chemical aspect of silicon in physiology of the rice plant. Bull Natl Agric Sci B 15:1–58
Yue Y, Zhang M, Zhang JC, Duan LS, Li ZH (2012) SOS1 gene overexpression increased salt tolerance in transgenic tobacco by maintaining a higher K+/Na+ ratio. J Plant Physiol 169:255–261. doi:10.1016/j.jplph.2011.10.007
Zapata PJ, Serrano M, Pretel MT, Amorös A, Botella MA (2004) Polyamines and ethylene changes during germination of different plant species under salinity. Plant Sci 167:781–788. doi:10.1016/j.plantsci.2004.05.014
Zargar SM, Nazir M, Agarwal GK, Rakwal R (2011) OMICS based strategies for efficient accumulation of silicon in rice to enhance its tolerance against environmental stresses. Mol Plant Breed 2:98–100. doi:10.5376/mpb.2011.02.0014
Zhang F, Liang YC, He WL, Zhao X, Zhang LX (2004) Effects of salinity on growth and compatible solutes of callus induced from Populus euphratica. In Vitro Cell Dev-Pl 40:491–494. doi:10.1079/IVP2004546
Zhou CX, Zhang JY, Li BX (2006) Current status and developing prospect of silicate fertilizer. J Chem Ind Eng 27(6):48–53 (in Chinese)
Zhu JK (2001) Plant salt tolerance. Trends Plant Sci 6:66–71. doi:10.1016/s1360-1385(00)01838-0
Zhu JK (2002) Salt and drought stress signal transduction in plants. Annu Rev Plant Biol 53:247–273. doi:10.1146/annurev.arplant.53.091401.143329
Zhu ZJ, Wei GQ, Li J, Qian QQ, Yu JP (2004) Silicon alleviates salt stress and increases antioxidant enzymes activity in leaves of salt-stressed cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.). Plant Sci 167:527–533. doi:10.1016/j.plantsci.2004.04.020
Zushi K, Matsuzoe N, Kitano M (2009) Developmental and tissue-specific changes in oxidative parameters and antioxidant systems in tomato fruits grown under salt stress. Sci Hortic 122:362–368. doi:10.1016/j.scienta.2009.06.001
Acknowledgments
This study is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31272152), Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University of China (NCET-11-0441), Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China (20120204110020), Chinese Universities Scientific Fund (QN2011092), and Talent Introduction Startup Fund of Northwest A&F University.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
About this article
Cite this article
Zhu, Y., Gong, H. Beneficial effects of silicon on salt and drought tolerance in plants. Agron. Sustain. Dev. 34, 455–472 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-013-0194-1
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-013-0194-1