Abstract
Although silicon (Si) has been widely reported to alleviate plant nutrient deficiency, the underlying mechanism in potassium (K) deficiency is poorly understood. In this study, sorghum seedlings were treated with Si under a K deficiency condition for 15 days. Under control conditions, plant growth was not affected by Si application. The growth and water status were reduced by K-deficient stress, but Si application significantly alleviated these decreases. The leaf gas exchanges, whole-plant hydraulic conductance (Kplant), and root hydraulic conductance (Lpr) were reduced by K deficiency, but Si application moderated the K-deficiency-induced reductions, suggesting that Si alleviated the plant hydraulic conductance. In addition, 29% of Si-alleviated transpiration was eliminated by HgCl2 treatment, suggesting that aquaporin was not the primary cause for the reversal of plant hydraulic conductance. Moreover, the K(+) concentration in xylem sap was significantly increased and the xylem sap osmotic potential was decreased by Si application, suggesting that the major cause of Si-induced improvement in hydraulic conductance could be ascribed to the enhanced xylem sap K(+) concentration, which increases the osmotic gradient and xylem hydraulic conductance. The results of this study show that Si mediates K(+) accumulation in xylem, which ultimately alleviates the plant-water status under the K-deficient condition.
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Claims 10
Claim · model-written summary
Silicon did not affect growth under control conditions.
SorghumOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Under control conditions, plant growth was not affected by Si application.”
t0“sorghum”
Claim · model-written summary
Potassium deficiency reduced growth and water status.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The growth and water status were reduced by K-deficient stress”
t0“sorghum”
Claim · model-written summary
Silicon alleviated potassium deficiency reductions in growth and water status.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The growth and water status were reduced by K-deficient stress, but Si application significantly alleviated these decreases.”
t0“sorghum”
Claim · model-written summary
Potassium deficiency reduced leaf gas exchange and hydraulic conductance.
- Treatment
- K deficiencye0
- Outcome
- leaf gas exchanges, whole-plant hydraulic conductance (Kplant), and root hydraulic conductance (Lpr)e0
- Direction
- reducede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The leaf gas exchanges, whole-plant hydraulic conductance (Kplant), and root hydraulic conductance (Lpr) were reduced by K deficiency”
t0“sorghum”
Claim · model-written summary
Silicon moderated potassium deficiency reductions in gas exchange and conductance.
- Treatment
- Si applicatione0
- Outcome
- leaf gas exchanges, whole-plant hydraulic conductance (Kplant), and root hydraulic conductance (Lpr)e0
- Direction
- moderatede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The leaf gas exchanges, whole-plant hydraulic conductance (Kplant), and root hydraulic conductance (Lpr) were reduced by K deficiency, but Si application moderated the K-deficiency-induced reductions”
t0“sorghum”
Claim · model-written summary
HgCl2 treatment eliminated 29% of silicon alleviated transpiration.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“29% of Si-alleviated transpiration was eliminated by HgCl2 treatment”
t0“sorghum”
Claim · model-written summary
Authors infer aquaporin was not the primary cause of hydraulic reversal.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“aquaporin was not the primary cause for the reversal of plant hydraulic conductance”
t0“sorghum”
Claim · model-written summary
Silicon significantly increased xylem sap potassium concentration.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the K(+) concentration in xylem sap was significantly increased and the xylem sap osmotic potential was decreased by Si application”
t0“sorghum”
Claim · model-written summary
Silicon decreased xylem sap osmotic potential.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the K(+) concentration in xylem sap was significantly increased and the xylem sap osmotic potential was decreased by Si application”
t0“sorghum”
Claim · model-written summary
Authors attribute improved conductance to potassium accumulation increasing osmotic gradient.
- Compound
- K(+)e0
- Outcome
- improvement in hydraulic conductancee0
- Qualifier
- increases the osmotic gradient and xylem hydraulic conductancee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the major cause of Si-induced improvement in hydraulic conductance could be ascribed to the enhanced xylem sap K(+) concentration, which increases the osmotic gradient and xylem hydraulic conductance”
t0“sorghum”
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This paper is about lacking the nutrient, so it counts the other way round here.
- positive
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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.