Articles
Impact of silicon applications on the agronomic and nutritional performance of container-grown organic highbush blueberries
Article number
1428_8
Pages
55 – 62
Language
English
Abstract
Biostimulants are widely studied and recognized for their ability to improve plant nutrient uptake, plant growth, productivity, fruit quality, and resilience to abiotic and biotic stresses.
Among these, silicon (Si) is reported for its benefits in mitigating stresses such as plant diseases, salinity, drought, and nutrient imbalances.
For organic highbush blueberries, enhancing crop resilience and producing high-quality berries are critical for the success in local and international markets.
Since the health-promoting compounds in fruits are often associated with secondary metabolites involved in plant defense, Si may enhance the nutritional value of berries.
Indeed, studies have shown that Si can increase sugar contents and certain phenolic compounds.
Thus, in a split-plot design conducted over one growing season in a greenhouse at Laval University (Quebec, Canada), we compared two Si sources: 1) organic wollastonite (58% SiO2, 23% CaO, 6% MgO) at a rate of 4 g L‑1 of growing media, and 2) potassium silicate (18% SiO2, 50% K) at a rate of 1.7 mM added to the irrigation water, alongside a control group receiving no Si.
Eight highbush blueberry cultivars, including early and late-maturing cultivars, were grown in a 10-L container filled with an organic peat-based growing media provided by Berger (Berger, Saint-Modeste, QC, Canada), and supplied with organic fertilizers.
Our results indicated that Si from potassium silicate was absorbed in greater quantities than wollastonite, as shown by leaf Si content.
The Si concentrations in the leaves varied among cultivars; ‘Earliblue’ and ‘Liberty’ exhibited the lowest leaf Si content at 34 and 35%, respectively, in comparison to the average Si content across all cultivars in the study, while ‘Bluegold’ displayed the highest Si content, with a total of 370 ppm.
This showed significant variability in Si absorption capacity among the studied highbush blueberry cultivars.
On the other hand, potassium silicate positively affected microbial enzymatic activity, as shown by increased FDA content in the samples compared to plants without Si supplementation.
In terms of phenolic compounds, ‘Earliblue’ and ‘Liberty’ had the lowest levels of polyphenols and anthocyanins, whereas ‘Bluegold’ exhibited the highest levels, indicating a potential correlation between Si content and phenolic compounds in highbush blueberries.
Among these, silicon (Si) is reported for its benefits in mitigating stresses such as plant diseases, salinity, drought, and nutrient imbalances.
For organic highbush blueberries, enhancing crop resilience and producing high-quality berries are critical for the success in local and international markets.
Since the health-promoting compounds in fruits are often associated with secondary metabolites involved in plant defense, Si may enhance the nutritional value of berries.
Indeed, studies have shown that Si can increase sugar contents and certain phenolic compounds.
Thus, in a split-plot design conducted over one growing season in a greenhouse at Laval University (Quebec, Canada), we compared two Si sources: 1) organic wollastonite (58% SiO2, 23% CaO, 6% MgO) at a rate of 4 g L‑1 of growing media, and 2) potassium silicate (18% SiO2, 50% K) at a rate of 1.7 mM added to the irrigation water, alongside a control group receiving no Si.
Eight highbush blueberry cultivars, including early and late-maturing cultivars, were grown in a 10-L container filled with an organic peat-based growing media provided by Berger (Berger, Saint-Modeste, QC, Canada), and supplied with organic fertilizers.
Our results indicated that Si from potassium silicate was absorbed in greater quantities than wollastonite, as shown by leaf Si content.
The Si concentrations in the leaves varied among cultivars; ‘Earliblue’ and ‘Liberty’ exhibited the lowest leaf Si content at 34 and 35%, respectively, in comparison to the average Si content across all cultivars in the study, while ‘Bluegold’ displayed the highest Si content, with a total of 370 ppm.
This showed significant variability in Si absorption capacity among the studied highbush blueberry cultivars.
On the other hand, potassium silicate positively affected microbial enzymatic activity, as shown by increased FDA content in the samples compared to plants without Si supplementation.
In terms of phenolic compounds, ‘Earliblue’ and ‘Liberty’ had the lowest levels of polyphenols and anthocyanins, whereas ‘Bluegold’ exhibited the highest levels, indicating a potential correlation between Si content and phenolic compounds in highbush blueberries.
Authors
È.-M. Boudreau-Forgues, L. Gaudreau, T.T.A. Nguyen, A. Gosselin, L. Thériault, A. Brégard, M. Dorais
Keywords
Vaccinium corymbosum, organic production, production systems, controlled environment, silicon
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