Role Of Silicon Research Articles

Effects of silicon on the uptake and accumulation of arsenite and dimethylarsinic acid in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Accumulation of arsenite [As(III)] and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) in rice grainsposes a threat to human health. Although silicon (Si) has been reported to reduce As uptake, the mechanisms involved are not fully understood. In this study, we first confirmed that the concurrent addition of Si and As in solution decreased As accumulation in rice. Then, the effect of Si previously deposited in shoots by the pretreatment of rice seedlings with Si for one week was investigated by using lsi2 mutant and its wild type. The uptake of both As(III) and DMA decreased in rice subjected concurrently to Si and As (III)/DMA in solution, without effects on OsLsi1 and OsLsi2 expression. This concurrent treatment also decreased total As concentration in the root cell walls and xylem sap, which might have restrained apoplastic transport of As to shoots. Silicon previously deposited in the shoots decreased root-to-shoot As(III) translocation and down-regulated OsLsi1, OsLsi2 and OsNRAMP1, but did not affect As concentration in the roots, and had no effect on DMA uptake and accumulation in shoots and roots either. This study sheds light on the role of silicon in solution and rice shoots in As(Ⅲ) and DMA uptake and transport by rice.

Calcium Transfer to Oxide Inclusions in Al-Killed Steel Without Calcium Treatment

Alumina inclusions generated from aluminum deoxidation may undergo several transformations depending on steelmaking conditions. Under reducing conditions, in contact with MgO-saturated slag, alumina inclusions are known to transform to spinel. However, there are uncertainties related to CaO pick-up by alumina-based inclusions. This work aims to provide some clarification of CaO pick-up by alumina inclusions through a series of experiments. First, the role of silicon in calcium transfer from slag was examined by conducting two similar experiments: one without any silicon addition and a second with 1 wt pct electronic grade silicon addition. Second, the role of crucibles was tested by conducting experiments in ZrO2 and CaO-3 pct ZrO2 crucibles. It was found that the addition of silicon significantly enhances the rate of CaO pick-up when there was no silica in the slag at the start of reaction. The effect of the crucible on CaO pick-up was found to be weaker than that of the 1 wt pct silicon addition.

Dynamics of biogenic silica accumulation and ecological characteristics in single-species communities and ecotones in Min River estuary, China

The role of silicon in plant resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses is clear; however, its role in interspecific interactions is not well understood. Biogenic silica (BSi) accumulation and ecological characteristics in single-species communities (Phragmites australis, Cyperus malaccensis, and Spartina alterniflora) and ecotones (P. australis–C. malaccensis and C. malaccensis–S. alterniflora) of Shanyutan marsh, China, were monitored from January to December in 2016. The BSi content of the three plant species decreased at the end of winter and beginning of spring, and continued to increase after March. In ecotones, the density of P. australis, the lengths of C. malaccensis and S. alterniflora, and the BSi content of C. malaccensis were greater than those in single-species communities. However, in single-species communities, the densities of C. malaccensis and S. alterniflora, the length of P. australis, the biomass and BSi stocks of the three species, and the BSi content of P. australis and S. alterniflora were greater than those in the ecotones. The three species may apply different strategies to compete for resources during interactive growth. Phragmites australis may improve its competitive ability by increasing vegetation density, aboveground biomass, and Si allocation to the leaves and withered body. Spartina alterniflora appears to enhance root biomass accumulation and the Si uptake and allocation capacity of roots. Cyperus malaccensis appears to allocate greater biomass and BSi to aboveground organs, as well as improve the absorption capacity of roots to resist competition pressure from P. australis. Cyperus malaccensis mixed with S. alterniflora increased its belowground biomass and BSi stocks. These results help clarify the mechanisms and processes of Si translocation during mixed plant growth, and increase our understanding of the strategies involved in plant competition.

An insight into the role of silicon on retaliation to osmotic stress in finger millet (Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn)

Finger millet, a vital nutritional cereal crop provides food security. It is a well-established fact that silicon (Si) supplementation to plants alleviates both biotic and abiotic stresses. However, precise molecular targets of Si remain elusive. The present study attempts to understand the alterations in the metabolic pathways after Si amendment under osmotic stress. The analysis of transcriptome and metabolome of finger millet seedlings treated with distilled water (DW) as control, Si (10 ppm), PEG (15%), and PEG (15%) + Si (10 ppm) suggest the molecular alterations mediated by Si for ameliorating the osmotic stress. Under osmotic stress, uptake of Si has increased mediating the diversion of an enhanced pool of acetyl CoA to lipid biosynthesis and down-regulation of TCA catabolism. The membrane lipid damage reduced significantly by Si under osmotic stress. A significant decrease in linolenic acid and an increase of jasmonic acid (JA) in PEG + Si treatment suggest the JA mediated regulation of osmotic stress. The relative expression of transcripts corroborated with the corresponding metabolites abundance levels indicating the activity of genes in assuaging the osmotic stress. This work substantiates the role of Si in osmotic stress tolerance by reprogramming of fatty acids biosynthesis in finger millet.

ABHRAK BHASMA AND SiO2 INFLUENCED FREE RADICAL STATUS IN LIVER AND KIDNEY OF CCl4-INDUCED ACUTELY INTOXICATED MALE ALBINO RAT

Objective: The objective of the study was to study the mechanism of action of abhrak bhasma-mediated liver and kidney protection in CCl4-induced acute hepatotoxicity-induced male albino rats. Action of abhrak bhasma is compared with the action of SiO2 in similar experimental conditions to differentiate the role of silicon.
 Methods: Male albino rats (Rattus norvegicus) were used for experiments. The acute hepatotoxicity was induced by daily dose of CCl4 (3.0 ml/kg body wt for 7 days consecutive). Concurrent treatment of abhrak bhasma in graded doses (10, 20, 30, and 40 mg) was given for 7 days (PO). SiO2 (10, 20, 30, and 40 mg) in graded doses was also given in independent groups of rats as silica control. Lipid peroxidation (LPO) in liver and kidney was studied by malondialdehyde (MDA) estimations as parameter of toxicity and also to study protection.
 Results: CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity (MDA levels) is partially managed by low doses of SiO2 but not by high doses. Abhrak bhasma hepatoprotective activities were dose dependent. A 40 mg dose maintained normal levels of LPO. Abhrak bhasma also protected associated renal toxicity.
 Conclusion: Abhrak bhasma protected CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity and also associated renal toxicity. Silicon from both SiO2 and abhrak bhasma is hepatoprotective in 10 ml doses (10 and 20 mg) but silicon processed in abhrak bhasma by traditional Ayurvedic processes increased its potency and hepatoprotection and added the potency of renal protection.

Mitigating Climate Change for Sugarcane Improvement: Role of Silicon in Alleviating Abiotic Stresses

Climatic variables are the main factors determining the crop productivity, and these undergo changes in the course of time. Though silicon (Si) is not an essential element for the plants, its significant role has been observed in various plant species. Use of silicon could stimulate plant growth and mitigate multiple stresses such as salinity, drought, heat, extreme temperature, metal toxicity and nutritional imbalance as well as the stress linked with changes in global climatic variables. Silicon can also delay leaf senescence. In addition, Si is not harmful to plants even when present in excess. Eco-friendly techniques would be needed for addressing the growing demands for food grains and other agricultural production. The use of Si would become a sustainable strategy for increasing crop yield, improving quality and mitigating abiotic stresses in the near future. This review highlights our current understanding on the use of silicon to mitigate abiotic stresses and enhance crop production.

Application of Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) as Sensors: A Review

This paper presents a review of the current applications of Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) in the robotics and industrial applications. MEMS are widely used as actuators or sensors in numerous respects of our daily life as well as automation lines and industrial applications. Intersection of founding new polymers and composites such as silicon and micro manufacturing technologies performing micro-machining and micro-assembly brings about remarkable growth of application and efficacy of MEMS devices. MEMS indicated huge improvement in size reduction, higher reliability, multi-functionality, customized design, and power usage. Demonstration of various devices and technologies utilized in robotics and industrial applications are illustrated in this article along with the use and the role of silicon in the development of the sensors. Some future trends and its perspectives are also discussed.

Role of silicon and carbon on the structural and electrochemical properties of Si-Ni3.4Sn4-Al-C anodes for Li-ion batteries

Varying the amounts of silicon and carbon, different composites have been prepared by ball milling of Si, Ni3.4Sn4, Al and C. Silicon and carbon contents are varied from 10 to 30 wt.% Si, and 0 to 20 wt.% C. The microstructural and electrochemical properties of the composites have been investigated by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and electrochemical galvanostatic cycling up to 1000 cycles. Impact of silicon and carbon contents on the phase occurrence, electrochemical capacity and cycle-life are compared and discussed. For C-content comprised between 9 and 13 wt.% and Si-content ≥ 20 wt.%, Si nanoparticles are embedded in a Ni3.4Sn4-Al-C matrix which is chemically homogeneous at the micrometric scale. For other carbon contents and low Si-amount (10 wt.%), no homogeneous matrix is formed around Si nanoparticles. When homogenous matrix is formed, both Ni3Sn4 and Si participate to the reversible lithiation mechanism, whereas no reaction between Ni3Sn4 and Li is observed for no homogenous matrix. Moreover, best cycle-life performances are obtained when Si nanoparticles are embedded in a homogenous matrix. Composites with carbon in the 9-13 wt.% range and 20 wt.% silicon lead to the best balance between capacity and life duration upon cycling. This work experimentally demonstrates that embedding Si in an intermetallic/carbon matrix allows to efficiently accommodate Si volume changes on cycling to ensure long cycle-life.

Silicon amendment induces synergistic plant defense mechanism against pink stem borer (Sesamia inferens Walker.) in finger millet (Eleusine coracana Gaertn.)

Silicon (Si) uptake and accumulation in plants can mitigate various biotic stresses through enhanced plant resistance against wide range of herbivores. But the role of silicon in defense molecular mechanism still remains to be elucidated in finger millet. In the present study, we identified three silicon transporter genes viz. EcLsi1, EcLsi2, and EcLsi6 involved in silicon uptake mechanism. In addition, the study also identified and characterized ten different Si transporters genes from finger millet through transcriptome assembly. The phylogenetic study revealed that EcLsi1 and EcLsi6 are homologs while EcLsi2 and EcLsi3 form another pair of homologs. EcLsi1 and EcLsi6 belong to family of NIP2s (Nod26-like major intrinsic protein), bona fide silicon transporters, whereas EcLsi2 and EcLsi3, an efflux Si transporter, belong to an uncharacterized anion transporter family having a significant identity with putative arsB transporter proteins. Further, the phylogenetic and topology analysis suggest that EcLsi1 and EcLsi2 co-evolved during evolution while, EcLsi2 and EcLsi3 are evolved from either EcLsi1 and/or EcLsi6 by fusion or duplication event. Moreover, these silicon transporters are predicted to be localized in plasma membrane, but their structural differences indicate that they might have differences in their silicon uptake ability. Silicon amendment induces the synergistic defense mechanism by significantly increasing the transcript level of silicon transporter genes (EcLsi1, EcLsi2 and EcLsi6) as well as defense hormone regulating genes (EcSAM, EcPAL and EcLOX) at 72 hpi (hours of post infestation) in both stem and roots compared to non-silicon treated plants against pink stem borer in finger millet plants. This study will help to understand the molecular defense mechanism for developing strategies for insect pest management.

Soluble silicon compounds in soils of different granulometric composition of the western region of Ukraine

One of the most common elements in the earth's crust is silicon. In soils, its content varies widely. One hundred years ago, the role of silicon in agriculture and human nutrition was not paid attention. But with the intensification of agricultural production in addition to the basic elements, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, the importance of which for crop yields is recognized, much attention was paid to secondary and trace elements, in particular, silicon. The aim of the research was to determine the content of soluble silicon compounds in the arable layer of chernozem-type soils depending on their particle size distribution. The research was conducted on arable lands of Novoushitsky district of Khmelnytsky region. In soil samples were determined: particle size distribution and content of fractions of particle size elements of different sizes according to DSTU 4730: 2007; pH of salt extract according to DSTU ISO 10390: 2001; humus content according to DSTU 4289: 2004; the content of metabolic compounds of calcium and magnesium by extraction with 1.0 M solution of KCl. Silicon compounds in soils were determined by the method of Mullen and Riley with extraction of silicon by VV Matychenkov. Studies conducted on the soils of agricultural lands of Khmelnytsky region have shown that the content of silicon compounds in soils is related to the particle size distribution of the soil, values of metabolic acidity, humus content, as well as the composition and content of exchangeable cations. The average values of easily accessible silicon compounds in the studied soils of agricultural lands of Novoushitsky district of Khmelnytsky region range from 87 to 120 mg / kg SiO2, and hard-to-reach - 520-854 mg / kg SiO2. To assess the content of silicon compounds in the soils of Ukraine and the need for the use of silicon fertilizers, we propose to use the ratio between the content of readily available (active) and hard-to-reach (potential) silicon. Optimal values should be 3-4 for the ratio of metabolic calcium to hard-to-reach silicon 5-6. The studied soils of Novoushitsky district of Khmelnytsky region have low-deficit and deficit-free balance of silicon, both easily accessible and hard-to-reach forms. Since the yield of winter wheat was closely related to the content of readily available silicon compounds (r = 0.74 ± 0.09), it is important to continue research to establish the norms of silicon fertilizers.

Silicon is an inducible and effective herbivore defence against Helicoverpa punctigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in soybean.

The role of silicon (Si) in alleviating the effects of biotic and abiotic stresses, including defence against insect herbivores, in plants is widely reported. Si defence against insect herbivores is overwhelmingly studied in grasses (especially the cereals), many of which are hyper-accumulators of Si. Despite being neglected, legumes such as soybean (Glycine max) have the capacity to control Si accumulation and benefit from increased Si supply. We tested how Si supplementation via potassium, sodium or calcium silicate affected a soybean pest, the native budworm Helicoverpa punctigera Wallengren (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Herbivory reduced leaf biomass similarly in Si-supplemented (+Si) and non-supplemented (-Si) plants (c. 29 and 23%, respectively) relative to herbivore-free plants. Both Si supplementation and herbivory increased leaf Si concentrations. In relative terms, herbivores induced Si uptake by c. 19% in both +Si and -Si plants. All Si treatments reduced H. punctigera relative growth rates (RGR) to a similar extent for potassium (-41%), sodium (-49%) and calcium (-48%) silicate. Moreover, there was a strong negative correlation between Si accumulation in leaves and herbivore RGR. To our knowledge, this is only the second report of Si-based herbivore defence in soybean; the rapid increase in leaf Si following herbivory being indicative of an induced defence. Taken together with the other benefits of Si supplementation of legumes, Si could prove an effective herbivore defence in legumes as well as grasses.

The Role of Silicon in Antiherbivore Phytohormonal Signalling.

The role of plant silicon (Si) in the alleviation of abiotic and biotic stress is now widely recognised and researched. Amongst the biotic stresses, Si is known to increase resistance to herbivores through biomechanical and chemical mechanisms, although the latter are indirect and remain poorly characterised. Chemical defences are principally regulated by several antiherbivore phytohormones. The jasmonic acid (JA) signalling pathway is particularly important and has been linked to Si supplementation, albeit with some contradictory findings. In this Perspectives article, we summarise existing knowledge of how Si affects JA in the context of herbivory and present a conceptual model for the interactions between Si and JA signalling in wounded plants. Further, we use novel information from the model grass Brachypodium distachyon to underpin aspects of this model. We show that Si reduces JA concentrations in plants subjected to chemical induction (methyl jasmonate) and herbivory (Helicoverpa armigera) by 34% and 32%, respectively. Moreover, +Si plants had 13% more leaf macrohairs than −Si plants. From this study and previous work, our model proposes that Si acts as a physical stimulus in the plant, which causes a small, transient increase in JA. When +Si plants are subsequently attacked by herbivores, they potentially show a faster induction of JA due to this priming. +Si plants that have already invested in biomechanical defences (e.g. macrohairs), however, have less utility for JA-induced defences and show lower levels of JA induction overall.

Silicon attenuates sodium toxicity by improving nutritional efficiency in sorghum and sunflower plants

Salt stress is known to negatively affect the fundamental processes in plants, reducing their growth and yield. The role of Silicon (Si) to protect the sorghum and sunflower plants against salinity stress was assessed. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different forms of Si application on the uptake and use efficiency of macronutrients and micronutrients in sorghum and sunflower plants under salinity stress under greenhouse conditions. Two experiments were conducted using sorghum and sunflower under greenhouse conditions. Four Si levels were applied to plants: no Si application; foliar application of 28.6 mmol.L−1; root application of 2.0 mmol.L−1; and combined Si application with both via nutrient solution and foliar spraying. Each Si treatment was applied in the absence and presence of NaCl (100 mM). Thirty days after treatments, sodium (Na+) and Si accumulation, nutrient uptake and use efficiency, and the roots and total plant dry weight were measured. Salinity stress induced nutritional imbalance and decreased dry weight production in both plant species. Our results showed that Si application alleviated the salinity stress by decreased Na+ uptake and increased nutritional efficiency, thereby favoring the total plant dry weight in sorghum by 27% and sunflower by 41%. This occurred when Si was applied either via root or in combination via root and foliar application, respectively. Collectively, our findings indicate that Si application can attenuate the deleterious effects of salt stress and increase yield in sorghum and sunflower plants in a sustainable manner.

Role of Silicon and Salicylic Acid in the Mitigation of Nitrogen Deficiency Stress in Rice Plants

Application of silicon (Si) and salicylic acid (SA) mitigates plant stress; however, this effect is not known under nitrogen (N) deficiency conditions in rice plants. The objective of the present study was to determine whether foliar application with a soluble form of Si and SA, individually or in combination, could mitigate N deficiency stress in rice plants. The treatments consisted of application of 3.45 g L−1 Si only (sprayed on the leaves), 4.5 mM SA only, a combination of both, and no application as control. Net CO2 assimilation rate, transpiration, lignin and carbon contents, C:N:P:Si stoichiometric ratio and grain yield were evaluated. Foliar application of Si combined with SA or isolated application of SA did not mitigate N deficiency stress in rice plants. However, silicon application increased rice yield by 18.6% in N-deficient conditions. Our results show that the beneficial effects of Si under nitrogen deficient conditions are related to the stoichiometry change in C with Si and increases of lignin synthesis.

Improving steel melting intensity in the process of electrosmelting from waste and pellets (HBI)

The paper addresses the issue on improving the intensity of melting in the production of steels using hot briquetted iron (HBI) in the charge that mostly consists of metal waste. An analysis has been performed into the features of melting that uses charge of complex composition. To ensure the boiling of metal bath, it is recommended to introduce to the bath carbon-containing raw materials in the form of steel waste in the amount exceeding 80 %. It was established that applying HBI almost does not reduce the yield of usable metal due to a high content of metal waste that makes up the charge.At the same time, the paper analyses the role of silicon and manganese oxidation process in the refining of liquid steel at melting the alloy wastes used as charge materials in an electric arc furnace. The dependences of equilibrium concentrations of oxygen and silicon at different temperatures in the system Fe‒Si‒O have been given. In addition, the dependence diagram of manganese oxidation products in a liquid iron on the temperature and concentration of manganese in the alloy MnO‒FeO has been constructed. The equilibrium concentrations of oxygen and silicon with carbon deoxidizing capability have been defined, in the field of liquid silicates and in the field of solid SiO2.The high-quality silicon and manganese oxidation when smelting steel made from metal waste and hot briquetted iron (HBI) contributes to the fullest refining of liquid steel through the phases metal-slag or metal-gas.It has been shown that the content of silicon during electrical steel refining drops to traces. Thus, when using metal waste and pellets as charge in the steel-making process, a silicon oxidation reaction does not reach equilibrium. If a sour process is performed, then the oxidation of silicon reaches equilibrium and, under certain conditions for melting the charge under the influence of heat from an electric arc, there may occur a significant reduction of silicon that takes place at a higher temperature (a silicon-reducing process). The basic process of melting the charge from metal waste and hot briquetted iron in an electric arc furnace has been recommended. In this case, the reducing period of melting is aimed at metal deoxidation, sulphur removal, at bringing the chemical composition of steel to the preset composition, at controlling the process temperature. All these tasks are solved in parallel throughout the entire reduction period. The complete removal of oxidative slag was followed by adding to the furnace of slag-forming mixes together with deoxidizing agents, that is the new slag (carbide or white) was introduced.A rise in the furnace bath temperature decreases the equilibrium constant of manganese. Therefore, in the absence of ferromanganese additives in the bath in the process of melting refinement, the behavior of manganese in the bath can be an indicator for the metal temperature.

Role of Silicon in Mitigation of Heavy Metal Stresses in Crop Plants.

Over the past few decades, heavy metal contamination in soil and water has increased due to anthropogenic activities. The higher exposure of crop plants to heavy metal stress reduces growth and yield, and affect the sustainability of agricultural production. In this regard, the use of silicon (Si) supplementation offers a promising prospect since numerous studies have reported the beneficial role of Si in mitigating stresses imposed by biotic as well as abiotic factors including heavy metal stress. The fundamental mechanisms involved in the Si-mediated heavy metal stress tolerance include reduction of metal ions in soil substrate, co-precipitation of toxic metals, metal-transport related gene regulation, chelation, stimulation of antioxidants, compartmentation of metal ions, and structural alterations in plants. Exogenous application of Si has been well documented to increase heavy metal tolerance in numerous plant species. The beneficial effects of Si are particularly evident in plants able to accumulate high levels of Si. Consequently, to enhance metal tolerance in plants, the inherent genetic potential for Si uptake should be improved. In the present review, we have discussed the potential role and mechanisms involved in the Si-mediated alleviation of metal toxicity as well as different approaches for enhancing Si-derived benefits in crop plants.

Improved Electrical Performance of SiO₂-Doped Indium Zinc Oxide Thin-Film Transistor.

In this study, we investigated the effect of oxygen content on the stability and the role of silicon in amorphous SiO₂-doped indium-zinc-oxide thin film transistor. The SiO₂-doped IZO (SIZO) thinfilms were deposited at room temperature by radio-frequency magnetron co-sputtering. To optimize stability and electrical performance, we changed the amount of oxygen by changing oxygen gas ratio in reactive sputtering (11%, 12%, and 13%) and used SiO₂ target to deposit SIZO active layer. By adjusting the parameters of SIZO thin-film transistor (TFT) preparation, we found that the best performance was obtained when the oxygen ratio of a-SIZO films was 11%. The optimized a-SIZO TFT exhibited an on/off current ratio (Ion/Ioff) of 2.1×107, saturation mobility (μsat) of 53.6 cm²/V . s, threshold voltage (Vth) of -7.3 V, and subthreshold swing (S.S.) of 1.7 V/decade. Compared to a-IZO films, the a-SIZO film showed better stability and electrical performance because it had fewer oxygen vacancies and defects.

Role of silicon in plant stress tolerance: opportunities to achieve a sustainable cropping system.

Silicon (Si) being considered as a non-essential element for plant growth and development finds its role in providing several benefits to the plant, especially under stress conditions. Thus, Si can be regarded as "multi-talented" quasi-essential element. It is the most abundant element present in the earth's crust after oxygen predominantly as a silicon dioxide (SiO2), a form plants cannot utilize. Plants take up Si into their root from the soil in the plant-available forms (PAF) such as silicic acid or mono silicic acid [Si(OH)4 or H4SiO4]. Nevertheless, besides being abundantly available, the PAF of Si in the soil is mostly a limiting factor. To improve Si-uptake and derived benefits therein in plants, understanding the molecular basis of Si-uptake and transport within the tissues has great importance. Numerous Si-transporters (influx and efflux) have been identified in both monocot and dicot plants. A difference in the root anatomy of both monocot and dicot plants leads to a difference in the Si-uptake mechanism. In the present review, Si-transporters identified in different species, their evolution and the Si-uptake mechanism have been addressed. Further, the role of Si in biotic and abiotic stress tolerance has been discussed. The information provided here will help to plan the research in a better way to develop more sustainable cropping system by harnessing Si-derived benefits.

Beer promotes differentiation and mineralization of human osteoblastic cells: Role of silicon

Silicon (Si) is an essential element for bone metabolism and beer is one of the richest sources of orthosilicic acid (OSA), the readily bioavailable form of Si. In this work, we compared the in vitro pro-anabolic effects on human osteoblastic cells of OSA and beer. We determined the optimal OSA concentration range positively affecting cell viability, proliferation, osteoblastic differentiation and collagen synthesis. Even more positive effects were obtained treating cells with beer containing the optimal dose of silicon, since beer also promoted cells differentation increasing alkaline phosphatase activity, mineral nodules formation, collagen and glycosaminoglycans synthesis and nitric oxide release. This study showed, for the first time, that beer has evident beneficial effects towards osteoblastic functionality, in respect to OSA alone and this may probably be ascribed to its interrelationship with other elements present in the whole beverage, thus supporting the potential use of beer as nutraceutical to prevent bone omeostastasis unbalance.

Silicon Utilization Efficiency of Different Wheat Cultivars in a Calcareous Soil

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of different silicon levels and sources on the efficiency of acquisition and utilization of silicon in seven wheat cultivars in a calcareous soil. The treatments consisted of silicon additions to the soil (control, 200, 400, and 1000 mg/kg as potassium silicate and 0, 50, and 100 mg/kg as nanoparticles) and seven wheat cultivars (Gonbad, Shiroudi, Shiraz, Mahdavi, Marvdasht, Bahar, and Parsi). The factorial experiment was carried out in three replications. The results showed that the application of silicon at different levels and from various sources, as well as wheat cultivars and their interactions with the silicon treatments, led to significant differences (p ≤ 0.01) in the root and shoot dry weights, the silicon concentration in the root and shoot, and the total silicon in the shoot. In addition, there was a significant relationship between the silicon level/source and wheat cultivars with all efficiency indices (at level of 1%). The results also show there is a significant (p ≤ 0.01) relationship between shoot silicon efficiency and silicon acquisition efficiency (0.72). Therefore, considering the role of silicon in stress alleviation, its application in wheat cultivars with higher acquisition efficiency can help the plant growth.