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Silicon-Mediated Tolerance to Drought and Low-Temperature Stress

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Silicon in Agriculture

Abstract

Drought and low temperature are two of the major adverse climatic factors that restrain plant growth and sustainable agricultural development. Silicon (Si) application can alleviate various abiotic stresses including drought and low temperature, suggesting its potential application in agricultural practices in these adverse soil and climate conditions. The mechanisms for Si-mediated increases of tolerance to drought and low-temperature stresses include physiological, biochemical and physical aspects. These include promoting photosynthetic enzymatic activities, photochemical efficiency and photosynthetic rate; maintaining nutrient balance; improving water retention by decreasing water loss from leaves and increasing water uptake by roots; and scavenging reactive oxygen species by improving the capabilities of antioxidant defence. Although some progress has been made in the understanding of mechanisms for Si-mediated drought and low-temperature stresses at the physiological, biochemical and physical levels, information on the molecular aspect is still lacking. The use of modern technologies, such as transcriptomics and proteomics approaches, may help clarify the transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms of Si-mediated tolerance in plants, which will provide a theoretical basis for Si application in agricultural production.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

    Yongchao Liang

  2. Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China

    Yongchao Liang & Alin Song

  3. University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia

    Miroslav Nikolic

  4. Laval University, Québec, Canada

    Richard Bélanger

  5. Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China

    Haijun Gong

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  1. Yongchao Liang
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  2. Miroslav Nikolic
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  4. Haijun Gong
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  5. Alin Song
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Liang, Y., Nikolic, M., Bélanger, R., Gong, H., Song, A. (2015). Silicon-Mediated Tolerance to Drought and Low-Temperature Stress. In: Silicon in Agriculture. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9978-2_7

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