Silicon mitigate salinity stress on gerbera cut flower

Abstract EN

Gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii) is an important ornamental flower in global flower market, it is one of the most herbaceous, perennial herb belongs to Asteraceae (compositae) family.

Gerbera is very popular and widely used as a decorative garden plant or as a cut flower; can be used in landscapes as bedding plants for borders or as a cut flower for table arrangement.

Silicon (Si) is a spread widely element and the second most abundant after oxygen in the soil, covering approximately 28 % of the Earth’s crust.

Silicon is not an essential nutrient, but it is known to have beneficial effects when added to plants.

In the soil, most sources of silicon are present as crystalline aluminosilicates, which are inert, insoluble, and not directly available for plants.

Silicon provides strength to the plant by making the plant tissues strong and rigid.

Salinity is one of the abiotic stresses that negatively influence agricultural production.

Recent review has proved that supplementary application of silicon involved in ornamental plants tolerance such as gerbera against salinity, it positively increases the activity of antioxidant enzymes, decreases the plasma membrane permeability, resulted in decreasing levels of lipid peroxidation.

Also, reduces the transpiration ratio and increases root activities.

Decreases in transpiration lead to decreased osmotic stresses in plant cells and root activities improved, because of root activities, uptake of nutrients by plants improved and salt toxicity decreased.