Queiroz Larissa Lanay Germano de, Mesquita Evandro Franklin de, Sousa Caio da Silva, Pereira Rennan Fernandes, Diniz José Paulo Costa, Melo Alberto Soares de, Alencar Rayanne Silva de, Dias Guilherme Felix, Soares Vitória Carolina da Silva, Mesquita Francisco de Oliveira, Pires José Philippe Martins Montenegro, Rodrigues Samuel Saldanha, Lins Lays Klécia Silva, Alves Anailson de Sousa, Araújo Karoline Thays Andrade, Costa Ferraz Patrícia da Silva
Graduate Program in Agricultural Sciences, Paraíba State University, Campina Grande 58429-500, PB, Brazil.
Department of Agrarian and Exact, Paraíba State University, Catolé do Rocha 58884-000, PB, Brazil.
Plants (Basel). 2025 Apr 19;14(8):1241. doi: 10.3390/plants14081241.
Silicon has emerged as a beneficial element in mitigating water deficit in various crops, although the underlying mechanisms still require further investigation. This study evaluated the foliar content of nutrients (N, P, K, and Ca) and proline, antioxidant activity, growth, water use efficiency, and yield of cowpea cultivars subjected to two irrigation depths (50% and 100% of crop evapotranspiration) and a foliar application of silicon (orthosilicic acid). A field experiment was conducted in a split-plot scheme using the randomized block design with four replications in a semi-arid region of northeastern Brazil. Silicon supplementation increased the foliar contents of N, P, and Ca; stimulated proline synthesis; and enhanced the activity of the SOD, CAT, and APX enzymes. These changes promoted growth, improved water use efficiency, and increased crop yield. The results indicate that foliar silicon application mitigates the effects of water deficit in cowpea plants while enhancing crop performance under full irrigation (100% of crop evapotranspiration), leading to higher yields even under favorable water conditions.
硅已成为减轻各种作物水分亏缺的有益元素，尽管其潜在机制仍需进一步研究。本研究评估了两种灌溉深度（作物蒸散量的50%和100%）以及叶面喷施硅（原硅酸）处理下豇豆品种的叶片养分（氮、磷、钾和钙）和脯氨酸含量、抗氧化活性、生长、水分利用效率和产量。在巴西东北部半干旱地区，采用随机区组设计的裂区试验方案进行了田间试验，重复四次。补充硅增加了叶片中氮、磷和钙的含量；刺激了脯氨酸的合成；并增强了超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）、过氧化氢酶（CAT）和抗坏血酸过氧化物酶（APX）的活性。这些变化促进了生长，提高了水分利用效率，并增加了作物产量。结果表明，叶面喷施硅可减轻豇豆植株水分亏缺的影响，同时在充分灌溉（作物蒸散量的100%）条件下提高作物性能，即使在有利的水分条件下也能实现更高的产量。
