The effects of nanosilicon on yield, fruit quality, and cracking of sweet cherries

Silicon is not an essential element for most plants, but it has many positive effects on growth, yield, and fruit quality, especially under stress conditions, including biotic and abiotic stress.
Although the positive effects of silicon on plants are well known, there are few reports on the effects of silicon when applied in the form of nanoparticles.
The effects of nanosilicon application on yield, leaf pigment content, and fruit quality of two sweet cherry cultivars: ‘Grace Star’ and ‘Black Star’, were investigated.
The foliar treatment was applied four times during the growing season.
In the ‘Grace Star’ cultivar, the application of nanosilicon resulted in a statistically significant increase in yield and yield efficiency.
In this cultivar, nanosilicon also had an effect on higher flavonol content in the leaf, lower fruit weight and fruit diameter, and higher soluble solids and ascorbic acid content in the fruit.
In both cultivars, nanosilicon caused an increase in the total acid content in the fruit, an increase in antioxidant activity, and a decrease in the fruit cracking index.

EHC2024: International Symposium on Postharvest and Horticultural Products Quality

D. Milatović, Đ. Boškov, I. Radović, A. Radović, G. Zec

Prunus avium, silicon nanoparticles, leaf pigments, fruit size, chemical composition of fruit, fruit cracking index

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2026.1458.42