Silicon and Plant Disease Control

Silicon (Si) helps to reduce the intensities of several seedborne, soilborne, and foliar diseases caused by biotrophic, hemibiotrophic, and necrotrophic plant pathogens in many crops. Plants displaying high levels of Si in their tissues are less prone to be severely affected by the infection process of the pathogen. The reduction in disease symptoms is linked to the effect of Si on some components of host resistance (e.g., incubation period, lesion size, lesion number, frequency of infection, and infectious period). The polymerization of Si beneath the cuticle and in the cell walls stops the penetration by the pathogens. On top of that, Si may potentiate the phenylpropanoid and terpenoid pathways and help plants to have a faster and stronger transcription of defense-related genes and higher activities of defense enzymes. When infected by pathogens, the plants supplied with Si show improved photosynthesis and a more robust antioxidant system.