Role of silicon in plant disease management

Plant diseases are one of the crucial limiting factors that decrease crop production worldwide. Although chemicals
can successfully manage diseases, the development of resistance and harmful reaction of chemicals on non-target
organisms and the environment have raised global concerns towards the development of eco-friendly disease
management strategies. Silicon (Si) is a good treatment to plant diseases and in the latest years a lot of work has
been done on its use in managing plant diseases. Isenosuke onodera in 1917 first suggested that silicon was
involved in resistance of rice against blast. As a result of experimentation from the 1914 until today, silicon’s ability
to decrease the disease intensity is now known for a large number of plants. After oxygen (49.2 %), silicon (25.7 %)
is the element that is most prevalent in the lithosphere, commonly existing in the form non-available to the plants.
Its uptake takes place through roots as silicic acid [Si(OH)4] and has a positive effect on plant health by effectively
reducing biotic and abiotic stresses (Ialam et al., 2020). Silicon may be applied as root or foliar application (Zellner
et al., 2021). It’s polymerization occurs in the extracellular spaces and accumulates on the walls of the epidermal
cells of leaves and xylemvessels that acts as a physical barrier to hamper pathogen penetration. Plants benefit from
silicon by having better mechanical and physiological qualities,which helps them withstand more biotic and abiotic
challenges. Silicon can reduce plant disease through (a) preventing penetration of pathogen via physical barriers (b)
antimicrobial chemical production as well as (c) stimulating defense-related gene expression and signaling pathway
(Ahammed et al., 2021). Therefore, Si application can contribute in the management of plant diseases, among other
practices.