Abstract
Systemic application of sodium silicate can significantly enhance the levels of leaf silica in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Mercia), suggesting that this material could reduce the palatability of plants to vertebrate herbivores (e.g. rabbits, Oryctolagus cuniculus L.). A bioassay was developed using hydroponically grown wheat plants. Plants treated with sodium silicate were significantly more resistant to grazing by wild rabbits than untreated plants, with severe, potentially lethal feeding damage being reduced by over 50%. Further studies were carried out to develop more practical techniques for boosting silica levels in plants using silicon-rich 'fertilisers' including calcium silicate and calcium silicate slag (CSS). Silica levels were elevated in the plant 1.9-2.8 times over the control through the application of various silicon materials, in line with those of the hydroponic treatment. Encouragingly, levels of silica were elevated even in young wheat plants, which are most vulnerable to rabbit damage, and in a range of wheat varieties. The use of CSS is particularly promising because of its lower cost in comparison with calcium silicate, and it has a proven track record in slag fertilisation of rice and sugar cane crops. At the optimum CSS application rate of 3 g silicon L(-1) soil, wheat silica levels were approximately doubled, with no detrimental impacts on long-term growth or yield.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Plants treated with sodium silicate were significantly more resistant to grazing by wild rabbits than untreated plants.
- Taxon
- winter wheat
Triticum aestivume0 - Treatment
- sodium silicatee1
- Interactor
- wild rabbitse1herbivore
- Outcome
- grazing by wild rabbitse1
- Direction
- more resistante1
- Comparator
- untreated plantse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Systemic application of sodium silicate can significantly enhance the levels of leaf silica in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Mercia)”
e1“Plants treated with sodium silicate were significantly more resistant to grazing by wild rabbits than untreated plants, with severe, potentially lethal feeding damage being reduced by over 50%”
Claim · model-written summary
Sodium silicate reduced feeding damage by over 50% compared with untreated plants.
- Taxon
- winter wheatTriticum aestivume0
- Treatment
- sodium silicatee1
- Interactor
- wild rabbitse1herbivore
- Outcome
- feeding damagee1
- Direction
- reducede1
- Value
- over 50%e1
- Comparator
- untreated plantse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Systemic application of sodium silicate can significantly enhance the levels of leaf silica in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Mercia)”
e1“Plants treated with sodium silicate were significantly more resistant to grazing by wild rabbits than untreated plants, with severe, potentially lethal feeding damage being reduced by over 50%”
Claim · model-written summary
Systemic sodium silicate application significantly enhanced leaf silica levels in winter wheat.
- Taxon
- winter wheatTriticum aestivume0
- Material
- Merciae0
- Treatment
- Systemic application of sodium silicatee0
- Outcome
- levels of leaf silicae0
- Direction
- enhancee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Systemic application of sodium silicate can significantly enhance the levels of leaf silica in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Mercia)”
Claim · model-written summary
Silicon materials elevated plant silica levels 1.9-2.8 times over the control.
- Taxon
- winter wheatTriticum aestivume0
- Treatment
- application of various silicon materialse2
- Outcome
- Silica levelse2
- Direction
- elevatede2
- Value
- 1.9-2.8 timese2
- Comparator
- the controle2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Systemic application of sodium silicate can significantly enhance the levels of leaf silica in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Mercia)”
e2“Silica levels were elevated in the plant 1.9-2.8 times over the control through the application of various silicon materials, in line with those of the hydroponic treatment”
Claim · model-written summary
Silica levels after silicon material application were in line with those of the hydroponic treatment.
- Taxon
- winter wheatTriticum aestivume0
- Treatment
- application of various silicon materialse2
- Outcome
- Silica levelse2
- Direction
- no_changeinferrede2
- Comparator
- hydroponic treatmente2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Systemic application of sodium silicate can significantly enhance the levels of leaf silica in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Mercia)”
e2“Silica levels were elevated in the plant 1.9-2.8 times over the control through the application of various silicon materials, in line with those of the hydroponic treatment”
Claim · model-written summary
Levels of silica were elevated even in young wheat plants.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivume3
- Organ / stage
- young wheat plantse3
- Outcome
- levels of silicae3
- Direction
- elevatede3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e3“levels of silica were elevated even in young wheat plants, which are most vulnerable to rabbit damage, and in a range of wheat varieties”
Claim · model-written summary
Levels of silica were elevated in a range of wheat varieties.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivume3
- Material
- a range of wheat varietiese3
- Outcome
- levels of silicae3
- Direction
- elevatede3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e3“levels of silica were elevated even in young wheat plants, which are most vulnerable to rabbit damage, and in a range of wheat varieties”
Claim · model-written summary
At the optimum CSS application rate, wheat silica levels were approximately doubled.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivume4
- Treatment
- CSS application rate of 3 g silicon L(-1) soile4
- Outcome
- wheat silica levelse4
- Direction
- approximately doublede4
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e4“At the optimum CSS application rate of 3 g silicon L(-1) soil, wheat silica levels were approximately doubled, with no detrimental impacts on long-term growth or yield”
Claim · model-written summary
At the optimum CSS application rate, wheat long-term growth or yield showed no detrimental impact.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivume4
- Treatment
- CSS application rate of 3 g silicon L(-1) soile4
- Outcome
- long-term growth or yielde4
- Direction
- no_changeinferrede4
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e4“At the optimum CSS application rate of 3 g silicon L(-1) soil, wheat silica levels were approximately doubled, with no detrimental impacts on long-term growth or yield”
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See all 34 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.