Vol. 11, Special Issue 5 (2022)

Author(s):
Sangeetha Panicker, C Ushamalini, N Indra, R Chitra and K Arunkumar

Abstract:
Silicon (Si) is the second most abundant element after oxygen on the earth’s crust. The use of silicon in agriculture began in China more than 2000 years ago. Si is known to effectively mitigate various environmental stresses and enhance plant resistance against fungal, bacterial and viral pathogens. Even as early as 1917 there was report to suggest that Si was involved in rice’s resistance against Magnaporthe grisea. Hence silicon is a great remedy to plant diseases and unlike pesticides its mode of action is not limited. Though a lot of research has been done in the use of silicon in reducing plant diseases, yet its use is limited, probably because the exact mechanism by which silicon mediates pathogen action remains a big question. In this review, the various plant diseases managed by silicon application and the effects of Si on plant-pathogen interactions are analyzed, mainly on physical and biochemical basis, and its role in inducing defense responses and activating the expression of defense related genes.