Growth, yield and silicon uptake of rice (Oryza sativa) as influenced by dose and timing of silicon application under water-deficit stress

Abstract

ABSTRACTTwo experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of dose and timing of silicon (Si) application on rice under limited water supply. The treatments for the first study included five Si doses (0, 75, 150, 300 and 600 kg Si ha–1) under three soil moisture conditions (100%, 75% and 50% field capacity). For the second study, the treatments were four Si application timings [100% basal, 50% basal + 50% panicle initiation (PI), 25% basal + 75% PI and 25% basal + 50% PI + 25% heading] at the dose of 300 kg ha–1 under the same moisture conditions. The highest number of panicle plant–1 (14.6) and grain yield (13.6 g plant–1) were obtained with the dose of 300 kg Si ha–1. Similarly, an increase of 34–45% in grain yield was observed for different Si application timings compared with the control. Shoot dry matter and grain yield had positive linear relationship with shoot Si content. Grain yield and number of spikelet panicle–1 were higher at the 300 kg Si ha–1 dose applied as 100% basal, and hence could be a feasible option for RD57 Thai rice variety under water-deficit conditions.