Chapter 19 - Importance of silicon in fruit nutrition: Agronomic and physiological implications

Abstract

The use of silicon in agriculture has attracted a great deal of interest in research, due to silicon's numerous benefits to plants, despite the element not being classified as an essential element for general vascular plants. The use of silicon is well known as one of the most promising methods for sustainable, environmentally friendly, and broad spectrum control of various diseases and for improving the growth and yield in plants. Most research on the benefits of silicon focuses on field crops, and silicon's role in the nutrition of horticultural crops, especially in fruits, has not been relatively well investigated. The current chapter underlines the agricultural importance of silicon in improving the yield and quality of fruit crops and in augmenting the crops’ resistance against diseases explored until now. The data presented in this chapter can help provide a better understanding of how silicon treatments may improve the quality and yield of fruit crops, increase the resistance, and reduce the severity of plant diseases. Additionally, this chapter highlights future research areas in the use of silicon in agriculture.