Abstract
Strawberries are a high-value crop in the United States due to their increasing demand and nutritional benefits. Strawberry production faces significant losses due to gray mold fruit rot caused by Botrytis cinerea . While fungicides provide major control, concerns about residues and the evolution of fungicide resistance demand alternative approaches to disease management. In this context, our study evaluated the potential use of potassium silicate (K 2 SiO 3 ) to enhance agronomic traits in plants, elucidate its role in combating gray mold in strawberries, and identify the responsible genes. Two strawberry cultivars (Flavorfest and Rutgers Scarlet TM) grown under high-tunnel field conditions were foliar-sprayed with different doses of potassium silicate (K 2 SiO 3 ) (0, 2, 3, and 4 mL per gallon of water). Silicon accumulation and agronomic traits were measured, and antifungal effects were assessed through in vitro assay and post-harvest fruit treatments using Chandler and Ruby June cultivars and molecular analysis using the silicon transporter genes. The 2 mL per gallon treatment showed the highest silicon concentration in leaves and phytolith formation, with limited translocation to roots, and significantly increased plant width and marketable yield. The effective concentration (2 mL/gallon) also reduced B. cinerea growth under in vitro conditions and lowered infection on postharvest-treated fruits, coinciding with enhanced expression of silicon transporter genes. Our study reports that moderate application of K 2 SiO 3 as a foliar spray improved plant growth and production, suppressed gray mold under in vitro conditions, and in postharvest treatments. Increased expression of transporter genes indicates the plant's response to its application.
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Claims 7
Claim · model-written summary
The 2 mL per gallon potassium silicate treatment gave the highest silicon concentration in strawberry leaves.
- Taxon
- strawberry
_single2.jpg?width=60)
Fragaria ×ananassae0 - Material
- Flavorfest and Rutgers Scarlet TMe0
- Organ / stage
- leavese2
- Treatment
- 2 mL per gallone1
- Outcome
- silicon concentration in leavese2
- Direction
- higheste2
- Setting
- high-tunnel field conditionse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
_single2.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e0“Two strawberry cultivars (Flavorfest and Rutgers Scarlet TM) grown under high-tunnel field conditions were foliar-sprayed with different doses of potassium silicate (K 2 SiO 3 ) (0, 2, 3, and 4 mL per gallon of water)”
e1“The 2 mL per gallon treatment”
e2“showed the highest silicon concentration in leaves”
Claim · model-written summary
The 2 mL per gallon potassium silicate treatment gave the highest phytolith formation in strawberry.
- Taxon
- strawberryFragaria ×ananassae0
- Material
- Flavorfest and Rutgers Scarlet TMe0
- Treatment
- 2 mL per gallone1
- Outcome
- phytolith formatione2
- Direction
- higheste2
- Setting
- high-tunnel field conditionse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Two strawberry cultivars (Flavorfest and Rutgers Scarlet TM) grown under high-tunnel field conditions were foliar-sprayed with different doses of potassium silicate (K 2 SiO 3 ) (0, 2, 3, and 4 mL per gallon of water)”
e1“The 2 mL per gallon treatment”
e2“showed the highest silicon concentration in leaves and phytolith formation”
Claim · model-written summary
Silicon showed limited translocation to the roots of strawberry plants treated with potassium silicate.
- Taxon
- strawberryFragaria ×ananassae0
- Outcome
- limited translocation to rootse2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Two strawberry cultivars (Flavorfest and Rutgers Scarlet TM) grown under high-tunnel field conditions were foliar-sprayed with different doses of potassium silicate (K 2 SiO 3 ) (0, 2, 3, and 4 mL per gallon of water)”
e2“with limited translocation to roots”
Claim · model-written summary
The 2 mL per gallon treatment significantly increased strawberry plant width and marketable yield.
- Taxon
- strawberryFragaria ×ananassae0
- Material
- Flavorfest and Rutgers Scarlet TMe0
- Treatment
- 2 mL per gallone1
- Outcome
- plant width and marketable yielde2
- Direction
- increasede2
- Setting
- high-tunnel field conditionse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Two strawberry cultivars (Flavorfest and Rutgers Scarlet TM) grown under high-tunnel field conditions were foliar-sprayed with different doses of potassium silicate (K 2 SiO 3 ) (0, 2, 3, and 4 mL per gallon of water)”
e1“The 2 mL per gallon treatment”
e2“significantly increased plant width and marketable yield”
Claim · model-written summary
The effective potassium silicate concentration (2 mL/gallon) reduced Botrytis cinerea growth under in vitro conditions.
- Treatment
- 2 mL/gallone5
- Interactor
- B. cinerea
Botrytis cinereae6pathogen - Outcome
- B. cinerea growthe6
- Direction
- reducede6
- Setting
- in vitro conditionse6
Not reportedTaxonComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e5“The effective concentration (2 mL/gallon)”
e6“reduced B. cinerea growth under in vitro conditions”
Claim · model-written summary
The effective potassium silicate concentration (2 mL/gallon) lowered infection on postharvest-treated strawberry fruits.
- Taxon
- strawberryFragaria ×ananassat0
- Organ / stage
- fruitse7
- Treatment
- 2 mL/gallone5
- Outcome
- infectione7
- Direction
- lowerede7
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“strawberry”
e5“The effective concentration (2 mL/gallon)”
e7“lowered infection on postharvest-treated fruits”
Claim · model-written summary
The effective potassium silicate concentration coincided with enhanced expression of silicon transporter genes in strawberry.
- Taxon
- strawberryFragaria ×ananassat0
- Treatment
- 2 mL/gallone5
- Gene
- silicon transporter genese4
- Outcome
- expressione4
- Direction
- enhancede4
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“strawberry”
e5“The effective concentration (2 mL/gallon)”
e4“coinciding with enhanced expression of silicon transporter genes”