Breeding soybean cultivars for improved silicon absorption/disease resistance

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Silicon is known to alleviate both biotic and abiotic stresses when fed to plants. However, very little is known about the spectrum of efficacy of Si, how plants react to different sources of Si, and if there is inter and intra species variation in plants' receptivity to the element. In this project, we will test different sources of silicon (potassium silicate, sodium silicate, calcium silicate) on different cultivars of selected plant species against a number of biotic stresses (fungal diseases) and abiotic stresses (e.g. water stress). For each combination of parameters, a large number of variables will be measured (e.g. disease incidence, disease progression, fresh and dry weight and yield) in order to determine which combination offers the best results. These experiments will be repeated three times under greenhouse conditions. Based on those results, the best source of silicon, together with the best cultivars of the tested species will be retained for field evaluations. Field trials will be carried out over two growing seasons and plant's productivity under Si treament will be compared to that of control plants. The ultimate objective is to select the best source of silicon and the best cultivars to determine if this approach could be part of an integrated management program.