Abstract
Effects of silicon on growth and water use efficiency (WUE) in sunflower(Helianthus annuusL. cv. G101) plants were studied with hydroponic experiment. The objectives of this study were to find the effect of silicon on water use efficiency of sunflower plants, which is mainly through water loss from leaves and water transport in xylem. Under hydro- ponic experimental condition, water use efficiency was calculated in terms of dry matter produced per unit of water con- sumption. The transpiration rate and leaf conductance of plants with (1.5 mmol/L silicic acid) or without Si application were measured using LI-1600 steady state prometer. Flow rate of xylem sap was evaluated by calculating the volume of xylem sap per hour. The results showed that WUE of plants treated with 1.5 mmol/L silicic acid was 34% higher than that of plants without Si application. Silicon application did not significantly improve plant growth and leaf area, but sig- nificantly increase the SPAD value of the largest leaf. Silicon application significantly decreased the transpiration and leaf conductance of abaxial leaf epidermis, but had no effect on that of adaxial leaf epidermis. Comparing the flow rate of so- lutes in xylem vessels in plants treated with and without Si found that the flow rates in Si-treated plants was much lower than that in plants without treated with Si, which was due to the increase of affinity for water in xylem vessels induced by silica deposits in vessels. These results indicated that the increase of WUE was mainly resulted from the reduction of leaf transpiration and flow rate of xylem sap in xylem vessels induced by Si application.
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Claims 7
Claim · model-written summary
Silicic acid increased water use efficiency by 34%.
- Taxon
- sunflower
Helianthus annuust0 - Treatment
- 1.5 mmol/L silicic acide0
- Outcome
- WUEe0
- Direction
- highere0
- Value
- 34%e0
- Comparator
- plants without Si applicatione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“WUE of plants treated with 1.5 mmol/L silicic acid was 34% higher than that of plants without Si application”
t0“sunflower”
Claim · model-written summary
Silicon did not significantly improve plant growth and leaf area.
- Taxon
- sunflowerHelianthus annuust0
- Treatment
- Silicon applicatione0
- Outcome
- plant growth and leaf areae0
- Direction
- did not significantly improvee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Silicon application did not significantly improve plant growth and leaf area”
t0“sunflower”
Claim · model-written summary
Silicon increased SPAD value of the largest leaf.
- Taxon
- sunflowerHelianthus annuust0
- Treatment
- Silicon applicatione0
- Outcome
- SPAD value of the largest leafe0
- Direction
- increasee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Silicon application did not significantly improve plant growth and leaf area, but sig- nificantly increase the SPAD value of the largest leaf”
t0“sunflower”
Claim · model-written summary
Silicon decreased abaxial leaf transpiration and conductance.
- Taxon
- sunflowerHelianthus annuust0
- Treatment
- Silicon applicatione0
- Outcome
- transpiration and leaf conductance of abaxial leaf epidermise0
- Direction
- decreasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Silicon application significantly decreased the transpiration and leaf conductance of abaxial leaf epidermis”
t0“sunflower”
Claim · model-written summary
Silicon had no effect on adaxial leaf transpiration and conductance.
- Taxon
- sunflowerHelianthus annuust0
- Outcome
- that of adaxial leaf epidermise0
- Direction
- no effecte0
Not reportedTreatmentComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“but had no effect on that of adaxial leaf epidermis”
t0“sunflower”
Claim · model-written summary
Xylem flow rates were lower in silicon-treated plants.
- Taxon
- sunflowerHelianthus annuust0
- Treatment
- Si-treated plantse0
- Outcome
- flow ratese0
- Direction
- lowere0
- Comparator
- plants without treated with Sie0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“flow rates in Si-treated plants was much lower than that in plants without treated with Si”
t0“sunflower”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors attributed reduced xylem flow to increased water affinity induced by silica deposits.
- Taxon
- sunflowerHelianthus annuust0
- Outcome
- affinity for water in xylem vesselse0
- Qualifier
- increase of affinity for water in xylem vessels induced by silica deposits in vesselse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“which was due to the increase of affinity for water in xylem vessels induced by silica deposits in vessels”
t0“sunflower”
The same questions in other papers
silicon atom · growth · Helianthus annuus (common sunflower)Results differ
2 papers in the same direction as this paper · 9 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
- positive
8 papers more in this group
See all 12 papers →silicon atom · physiology: pigments · Helianthus annuus (common sunflower)Positive and negative results
1 in the opposite direction
- no effect
silicon atom · physiology: gas exchange · Helianthus annuus (common sunflower)Results agree
2 papers in the same direction as this paper
- positive
- positive
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.