Abstract
A greenhouse experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of silicon application on Phaseolus vulgaris L. under two levels of salt stress (30 and 60 mM NaCl in the irrigation water). Salinity significantly reduced growth, stomatal conductance and net photosynthetic rate, and increased Na+ and Cl− content mainly in roots. Silicon application enhanced growth of salt stressed plants, significantly reduced Na+ content especially in leaves and counterbalanced the effects of NaCl on gas exchange; the effect was more evident at 30 mM NaCl. Cl− content in shoots and roots was not significantly modified by silicon application; the drop in K+ content caused by salinity was partially counterbalanced by silicon, especially in roots.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Abbreviations
- gs :
-
stomatal conductance
- PN :
-
net photosynthetic rate
- RWC:
-
relative water content
References
Adatia, M.H., Besford, R.T.: The effects of silicon on cucumber plants grown in recirculating nutrient solution.-Ann. Bot. 58: 343–351, 1986.
Ahmad, R., Zaheer, S.H., Ismail, S.: Role of silicon in salt tolerance of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).-Plant Sci. 85: 43–50, 1992.
Barceló, J., Guevara, P., Poschenrieder, C.: Silicon amelioration of aluminium toxicity in teosinte (Zea mays L. ssp. Mexicana).-Plant Soil 154: 249–255, 1993.
Bradbury, M., Ahmad, R.: The effect of silicon on the growth of Prosopis juliflora growing in saline soil.-Plant Soil 125: 71–74, 1990.
Brugnoli, E., Lauteri, M.: Effects of salinity on stomatal conductance, photosynthetic capacity and carbon isotope discrimination of salt-tolerant (Gossypium hirsutum L.) and salt-sensitive (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) C3 non-halophytes.-Plant Physiol. 95: 628–635, 1991.
Bursleim, D.F.R., Grubb, P.J., Turner, I.M.: Responses to stimulated drought and elevated nutrient supply among shade-tolerant tree seedlings of lowland tropical forests in Singapore.-Biotropica 28: 636–648, 1996.
Epstein, E.: The anomaly of silicon in plant biology.-Proc. nat. Acad. Sci. USA 91: 11–17, 1994.
Garcia, A., Rizzo, C.A., Ud-Din, J., Bartos, S.L., Senadhira, D., Flowers, T.J., Yeo, A.R.: Sodium and potassium transport to the xylem are inherited independently in rice, and the mechanism of sodium:potassium selectivity differs between rice and wheat.-Plant Cell Environ. 20: 1167–1174, 1997.
Iwasaki, K., Meier, P., Fecht, M., Horst, W.J.: Effects of silicon supply on apoplastic manganese concentrations in leaves and their relation to manganese tolerance in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.).-Plant Soil 238: 281–288, 2002.
Liang, Y.C., Shen, Q.R., Shen, Z.C., Ma, T.S.: Effects of silicon on salinity tolerance of two barley cultivars.-J. Plant Nutr. 19: 173–183, 1996.
Liang, Y.C.: Effects of Si on leaf ultrastructure, chlorophyll content and photosynthetic activity in barley under salt stress.-Pedosphere 8: 289–296, 1998.
Liang, Y.C.: Effects of silicon on enzyme activity and sodium, potassium and calcium concentration in barley under salt stress.-Plant Soil 29: 217–224, 1999.
Liang, Y.C., Chen, Q., Liu, Q., Zhang, W.H., Ding, R.X.: 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, 2003.
Liang, Y.C., Ding, R.X.: 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, 2002.
Ma, J.F.: Role of silicon in enhancing the resistance of plants to biotic and abiotic stresses.-Soil Sci. Plant Nutr. 50: 11–18, 2004.
Maas, E.V., Hoffmann, G.J.: Crop salt tolerance-current assessment.-J. Irrig. Drain. Div. ASCE 103: 115–134, 1977.
Matoh, T., Kairusmee, P., Takahashi, E.: Salt-induced damage to rice plants and alleviation effect of silicate.-Soil Sci. Plant Nutr. 32: 295–304, 1986.
Menzies, J.G., Ehret, D.L., Glass, A.D.M., Helmer, T., Koch, C., Seywerd, F.: The effects of soluble silicon on the parasitic fitness of Sphaerotheca fuliginia on Cucumis sativus.-Phytopathology 81: 84–88, 1991.
Ranganathan, S., Suvarchala, V., Rajesh, Y., Srinivasa Prasad, M., Padmakumari, A., Voleti, S.: Effects of silicon sources on its deposition, chlorophyll content, and disease and pest resistance in rice.-Biol. Plant. 50: 713–716, 2006.
Stępień, P., Kłobus, G.: Water relations and photosynthesis in Cucumis sativus L. leaves under salt stress.-Biol. Plant. 50: 610–616, 2006.
Yadav, R., Flowers, T. J., Yeo, A.R.: The involvement of the transpirational bypass flow in sodium uptake by high-and low-sodium-transporting lines of rice developed through intravarietal selection.-Plant Cell Environ. 19: 329–336, 1996.
Yeo, A.R., Caporn, S.J.M., Flowers, T.J.: The effect of salinity on photosynthesis in rice (Oryza sativa L.): gas exchange by individual leaves in relation to their salt content.-J. exp. Bot. 36: 1240–1248, 1985.
Yeo, A.R., Flowers, S.A., Rao, G., Welfare, K., Senanayake, N., Flowers, T.J.: Silicon reduces sodium uptake in rice (Oryza sativa L.) in saline conditions and this is accounted for by a reduction in the transpirational bypass flow.-Plant Cell Environ. 22: 559–565, 1999.
Yeo, A.R., Yeo, M.E., Flowers, T.J.: The contribution of an apoplastic pathway to sodium uptake by rice roots in saline conditions. J. exp. Bot. 38: 1141–1153, 1987.
Zall, M.D., Fisher, D., Garner, M.Q.: Photometric determination of chlorides in water.-Anal. Chem. 28: 1665–1668, 1956.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Zuccarini, P. Effects of silicon on photosynthesis, water relations and nutrient uptake of Phaseolus vulgaris under NaCl stress. Biol Plant 52, 157–160 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10535-008-0034-3
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10535-008-0034-3