Silicon at the Soil–Plant–Microbiome Interface: Rhizospheric Reconfiguration and Crop Resilience to Environmental Stresses

Summary

This narrative review integrates soil, plant, and microbiome perspectives on silicon's role in crop resilience, moving beyond isolated mechanisms studied at individual levels. Silicon bioavailability is shown to depend on soil chemistry (mineral weathering, pH, iron and aluminium oxides, organic matter), affecting both soil properties and plant uptake via specific transporters. The authors argue that silicon amendments can enhance tolerance to multiple environmental stresses (drought, salinity, toxicity, pests and pathogens), but highlight critical gaps in diagnosis, application methods, and the need for robust mechanistic validation across multiple sites to support silicon as a sustainable crop management tool under climate change.

Regional applicability

The mechanistic framework presented is globally applicable to understanding silicon's potential in sustainable farming, though the authors note that agronomic utility depends on context-specific factors including soil type, climate, crop genotype, and silicon source availability. United Kingdom farmers might benefit from this framework when evaluating silicon as a resilience tool for moisture and salinity stress, though local validation and soil status diagnosis would be essential before wider adoption.

Key measures

Silicon bioavailability (orthosilicic acid pools), soil structure and acidity, nutrient availability, enzymatic activities, microbial community composition, plant tissue silicification, leaf architecture, water and ionic homeostasis, tolerance to drought, salinity, metal toxicity, pathogens and pests

Outcomes reported

The review synthesises mechanisms by which silicon amendments improve soil properties, plant uptake and transport, and crop tolerance to abiotic (drought, salinity, metal toxicity) and biotic stresses. It identifies key limitations to agronomic application including soil silicic status diagnosis, silicon source selection, and genotypic variability.

Topic tags