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From: TOWARDS ESTABLISHING BROAD-SPECTRUM DISEASE RESISTANCE IN PLANTS: SILICON LEADS THE WAY, 2012

The title of this blog is the title of the research paper, what a title.

Our latest addition to our agricultural research database focuses on disease resistance benefits and has a fair bit of detail that can be numbing for most. But there are some nice digestible gems quoted below:

“Silicon application is one of the scarce examples of a treatment that effectively induces broad-spectrum disease resistance. The prophylactic effect of silicon is considered to be the result of both passive and active defences”

“…the observation that all prophylactic effects are lost within a short period of time after silicon feeding is interrupted clearly suggests that the role of silicon as a modulator of basal defence responses is dominant over its function as a mechanical barrier.”

This statement is an interesting evaluation of the immune response benefits as being of greater value for disease resistance than the mechanical barrier benefits.

And in conclusion:

“Although many treatments are reported to induce resistance against plant pathogens, there are very few strategies that induce broad-spectrum disease resistance without trade-offs. Silicon is one of the only exceptions, rendering plants more resistant towards a wide range of abiotic and biotic stresses. The prophylactic role of silicon is the result of both passive and active effects.”