Adding silicon to soil can help control clubroot in canola
Clubroot in canola can be reduced by up to 46% This article and study discuss the metabolic and physical changes that silicon provides canola. Silicon consistently shows improvements in plant metabolism enabling the plant to have more of the powerful molecules that attack the disease internally while at the same time silicon accumulates in cell walls to make them stronger. Cells hold the nutrients that diseases and pests need to access in order to grow and reproduce. Tougher cells greatly reduce the chances for a disease or pest to proliferate. Combined with a boosted immune system, silicon offers a double protection.
Key points:
- Silicon fertilizer reduced incidence of clubroot 46%
- Article is unique in commenting on CO2 emissions associated with lime
- Authors suggest silicon’s protection works by changing gene expression and physically inhibiting the pathogen
- Lead researcher suggests wollastonite as a suitable source of silicon
- Compared with sodium silicate used in the experiment, wollastonite would increase the pH as well as provide abundant amounts of plant available silicon
Images from the featured study: Silicon ameliorates clubroot responses in canola (Brassica napus): A “multi-omics”-based investigation into possible mechanisms
Canola roots – Control with disease and no silicon on the left. Control with no disease and no silicon on the far right.
The PC plants on the left have no silicon but were inoculated with clubroot. The plants on the right received the most silicon and were also inoculated with clubroot. The silicon plants are larger and they have larger cells at day 21, see the bottom right in the third row of images. The dark purple colouration in the bottom left corner is the growth of the disease within the plant cells. The disease is present but having minimal effect in the silicon fertilized plant on the right. The yellow arrows show evidence of the disease presence. The plants in the middle received half of the silicon of the plants in the right column.
Further reading:
Article: Adding silicon to soil can help control clubroot in Canola – The Western Producer (Alberta)
Full study: Silicon ameliorates clubroot responses in canola (Brassica napus): A “multi-omics”-based investigation