Silicon: a novel solution to reduce water use and pest damage in wheat

该项目旨在通过提高抗旱能力和减少对农药的依赖来提高澳大利亚的小麦产量。这是通过加入非晶硅（Si）来实现的，这是一种丰富的国家资源。小麦吸收硅已被证明可以缓解干旱和病虫害的胁迫，但机制和农艺可行性仍有待充分评估。该项目将提供从基因到农场规模对硅如何减轻小麦压力的机制理解，提供成本效益分析和最佳实践工具箱，供农民实施。预计结果将为澳大利亚主要作物的水资源短缺和虫害造成的产量损失问题提供更便宜、更环保的可持续解决方案。

The project aims to improve Australian wheat production by increasing drought resilience and reducing reliance on pesticides. This is achieved by incorporating amorphous silicon (Si), an abundant national resource. Si uptake by wheat has been proven to alleviate stress from drought and pests, but mechanisms and agronomic feasibility remain to be fully assessed. The project will deliver a mechanistic understanding of how Si alleviates stress in wheat, from gene to farm scale, providing cost-benefit analysis and a best–practice toolbox for implementation by farmers. Outcomes are anticipated to provide a cheaper and more environmentally sustainable solution to issues of water scarcity and yield losses to pests in Australia’s leading crop.