Effects of silicon on the growth and physiological properties of tomato seedlings under low phosphorus condition
To explore the physiological effects of silicon on tomato seedlings under different low phosphorus conditions, we performed this study using ‘Zhongza 9’ tomato cultivar as the experimental material, with seven combination treatments of two silicon levels (0 and 1.5 mmol/L K<sub>2</sub>Si...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Zhejiang University Press
2020-04-01
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| Series: | 浙江大学学报. 农业与生命科学版 |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.academax.com/doi/10.3785/j.issn.1008-9209.2019.07.301 |
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| Summary: | To explore the physiological effects of silicon on tomato seedlings under different low phosphorus conditions, we performed this study using ‘Zhongza 9’ tomato cultivar as the experimental material, with seven combination treatments of two silicon levels (0 and 1.5 mmol/L K<sub>2</sub>SiO<sub>3</sub>•nH<sub>2</sub>O) and four phosphorus levels (0.66, 0.44, 0.22 and 0 mmol/L NaH<sub>2</sub>PO<sub>4</sub>) under hydroponic cultivation, and investigated the effects of silicon on the plant dry mass, leaf relative water content, root morphological parameters, chlorophyll contents, membrane lipid peroxidation, plasma membrane integrity, reactive oxygen species levels, antioxidant enzyme activities, silicon and phosphorus contents of tomato seedlings exposed to different phosphorus supply levels. The results showed that, compared with the control treatment (0.66 mmol/L NaH<sub>2</sub>PO<sub>4</sub>), the leaf chlorophyll content and total root length were significantly reduced under the low phosphorus condition, while the membrane lipid damage was intensified and the phosphorus content in plant was declined, which led to the growth inhibition of tomato seedlings. Addition of exogenous silicon significantly alleviated the inhibitory effects of low phosphorus stress on the seedling growth, and the stressed-plants were maintained with higher leaf relative water contents, chlorophyll contents and better root growth. Besides, the corresponding malondialdehyde (MDA) content, <alternatives><inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="graphic/19C86352-C565-4107-8352-5EFBA8FB7ABA-F002.png"/></alternatives> content and H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> level in leaves and roots were decreased due to the enhancement of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) activities, and the assimilation of phosphorus in plants was promoted. Interestingly, there was the most significant facilitation of silicon on the growth of tomato seedlings when subjected to mildly low phosphorus stress. In general, exogenous silicon could promote the tolerance of tomato seedlings to phosphorus-deficiency, through improving the root growth and leaf water status, as well as inducing the enhancement of plant antioxidation capacity, and the silicon-mediated regulatory effect was more pronounced for mildly low phosphorus stress. These results are helpful for further understanding the synergistic effects of silicon and phosphorus elements, and will provide a theory basis for illuminating the physiological mechanism of silicon-mediated alleviation of tomato seedlings under the low phosphorus stress. |
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| ISSN: | 1008-9209 2097-5155 |