Abstract
Silicon has been reported to alleviate some mineral toxicities in plants. Growth chamber studies were conducted to assess the effects of Si on alleviating growth reductions and nutrient imbalances in sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] grown in nutrient solutions with toxic levels of Al. Treatments were 0, 300, 450, and 600 μM Al at 0, 1780, and 3560 μM Si. Increased levels of Al reduced shoot and root dry matter yields and total root length. Silicon in the growth medium enabled plants to overcome Al toxicity symptoms and enhanced shoot and root growth. Toxic Al levels decreased contents of all nutrient elements, especially Mg, Ca, Cu, and Zn, and decreased translocation of P from roots to shoots. Silicon counteracted many deleterious effects of Al on nutrient balances. Silicon apparently enhanced absorption of nutrients by enabling sorghum plants to maintain a higher root mass (root length) when grown with toxic levels of Al.
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© 1991 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
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Galvez, L., Clark, R.B. (1991). Effects of silicon on growth and mineral composition of sorghum (Sorghum Bicolor) grown with toxic levels of aluminium. In: Wright, R.J., Baligar, V.C., Murrmann, R.P. (eds) Plant-Soil Interactions at Low pH. Developments in Plant and Soil Sciences, vol 45. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-3438-5_92
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-3438-5_92
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