Environmental Research and Innovation Department, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, 5, rue Bommel, L-4940 Hautcharage, Luxembourg.
Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, via P.A. Mattioli 4, I-53100 Siena, Italy.
Biomolecules. 2020 Sep 7;10(9):1284. doi: 10.3390/biom10091284.
Salinity is an abiotic stress that affects agriculture by severely impacting crop growth and, consequently, final yield. Considering that sea levels rise at an alarming rate of >3 mm per year, it is clear that salt stress constitutes a top-ranking threat to agriculture. Among the economically important crops that are sensitive to high salinity is tomato ( L.), a cultivar that is more affected by salt stress than its wild counterparts. A strong body of evidence in the literature has proven the beneficial role of the quasi-essential metalloid silicon (Si), which increases the vigor and protects plants against (a)biotic stresses. This protection is realized by precipitating in the cell walls as opaline silica that constitutes a mechanical barrier to the entry of phytopathogens. With respect to Si accumulation, tomato is classified as a non-accumulator (an excluder), similarly to other members of the nightshade family, such as tobacco. Despite the low capacity of accumulating Si, when supplied to tomato plants, the metalloid improves growth under (a)biotic stress conditions, e.g., by enhancing the yield of fruits or by improving vegetative growth through the modulation of physiological parameters. In light of the benefits of Si in crop protection, the available literature data on the effects of this metalloid in mitigating salt stress in tomato are reviewed with a perspective on its use as a biostimulant, boosting the production of fruits as well as their post-harvest stability.
盐度是一种非生物胁迫，它通过严重影响作物生长，从而对最终产量产生影响，进而影响农业。考虑到海平面以每年超过 3 毫米的速度上升，很明显盐胁迫是农业面临的首要威胁之一。在对高盐度敏感的经济重要作物中，番茄（L.）是一个易受盐胁迫影响的品种，比其野生品种更容易受到盐胁迫的影响。大量文献证据证明了准必需金属元素硅（Si）的有益作用，硅可以增强植物活力并保护其免受（生物和非生物）胁迫。这种保护是通过在细胞壁中沉淀为蛋白石硅来实现的，蛋白石硅构成了进入植物病原体的机械屏障。就 Si 积累而言，番茄被归类为非积累者（排斥者），类似于茄科的其他成员，如烟草。尽管番茄积累硅的能力较低，但当供应给番茄植物时，这种金属元素可以改善（生物和非生物）胁迫条件下的生长，例如，通过提高果实产量或通过调节生理参数来改善营养生长。鉴于 Si 在作物保护中的益处，本文综述了有关该金属元素缓解番茄盐胁迫的现有文献数据，并探讨了将其作为生物刺激素的用途，以提高果实产量及其采后稳定性。
