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4 - 6 SEPTEMBER 2015, GOA

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Beneficialeffects of bio-active silicon on sugarcane growth and...Proceedingsof 11th Joint Conventionof STAI& DSTA:372 - 379

BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF BIO-ACTIVE SILICON 0SUGARCANE GROWTH AND QUALITY UNDER SUB-TRO

CONDITIONS

Neeru Jain, Radha Jain* & S. Solomon**

Modern agriculture is primarily concerned on the re-generation of SOL s:

through bio-recycling of organic matter and rhizospheric engineering, -micro and essential elements play ap indispensable role. Although si -is not recognized an essential element for the growth of higher planbeen proved that Si is extremely essential to gramineous plants such -wheat, barley, maize, sorghum and sugarcane etc. The beneficial efliare particularly distinct on plants exposed to various forms of biotic anstress. Currently, calcium silicate fertilizers are extensively applied to rsugarcane in many countries, especially in Asian, African, North anAmerican countries. Silicon is now playing ever-increasingly importan;in the sustainability of agriculture and its role have been widely recoimproving crop productivity and quality (Ma, 2004).

Silicic acid is the only bio-active Silicon molecule, which is taken up byroots and this molecule is biologically active only in the form of Ortho Sill(OSA).However, it is very unstable and rapidly polymerizes to inactivesilica, hydrated silica (silicon dioxide) :;lnd some of the Silicic acid relquickly sequestered by heavy metals such as Al and Mn, phosphoric aorganic substances. Another part is lost inside the plant during its uptaketranspiration stream and successive deposition in the leaf cuticle and arostomata. The beneficial role of OSA has been delineated in many crops, -among the ten most important crops, including sugarcane are considerSi accumulators, with concentration of Si above 1% dry weight.

In view of the current emphasis of Indian sugar industry on increasinyield and quality, effect of bio-active silicon application on growth, cane

*Privi Life Sciences, Navi Mumbai.**Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research, Lucknow-226 002

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Jain, Radha Jain & S. Solomondings of 11th Joint Convention of STAI & DSTA: 372 -379 2015

quality parameters were investigated under sub-tropical climate. It wasszrued that any incremental increase in yield or sucrose content, following

application would be beneficial to the farmers and millers in context of. ting cost of sugarcane and sugar production.

m~ALS AND METHODS

tudy was conducted at the experimental farm of Indian Institute ofiE:;::caneResearch, Lucknow. Small scale field trials were set up in a simple

cmized block design with five treatments in three replicates. Three bud setts_ cane variety CoLk 94184 were planted in the month of October 2013 to_ the effect of soil application of silixol granules along with calcium silicate

ent stages of crop growth with recommended doses ofNPK fertilizers. Theent details in this experiments are given below:

:. ntrol with recommended NPKdoses (150:60:60 NPKkg ha')

- 01 granules@20 kg ha' or 8 kg acre:' (10+5+5 kg ha'] with recommendede

- . 01 granules @ 40 kg ha' or 16 kg acre' (20+10+10 kg ha'] withended NPKdose

. 01 granules @ 80 kg ha' or 32 kg acre' (40+20+20 kg ha'] withended NPKdose

G...Cciumsilicate @ 2 t ha' with recommended NPK dose

_ nrce of bioactive silicon was Silixol Sugarcane containing Ortho Silicic__ %) in granular forms, developed ana supplied by Privi LifeSciences, Navi-- During sugarcane planting, treatments were applied in furrow and soil::ilizedbased upon the recommended dosage of NPKfor this region. Silixol- e was applied three times (Table 1) along with fertilizers.

ts of the application of Silixol sugarcane are presented in Table 2-5.--''''=r ....•zations were recorded at various stages of plant growth i.e. tillering,

final harvest.

nnation and plant height: The number of tillers per clumps were-- ly higher in T3.The plant 'height was maximum in T3 treatment at

:. grand growth and harvesting satge (Table2) indicating its positive impact- ension growth.

was comparatively lower than untreated control except T2 treatmentring stage than other treatments (Table 3 ). LeafArea Index (LAI)is very

·-t in sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) yield estimation because sugarcane

SUGARCANEAGRICULTURE-373

Beneficial effects of bio-active silicon on sugarcane growth and ...Proceedings of l I?' Joint Convention of STAr & DSTA: 372 - 379

has high LAIand a high photosynthetic efficiency under full sunlight, many other crop.

SLWand SLA

SLWis comparatively higher due to silica granules (T2,T3, and T4) andsilicate (T5)treatments than control in all stages. Nodefinite trend wasSLAdue to silica treatment except T5 at tillering phase, T2 at grand groand T3 at harvesting stage showed highest value than other treatments

Fresh and Dry weight of different plant parts

Results obtained indicated improvement in fresh weight and dry weight ofplant parts at various stages of crop growth due to silica treatment. Slamina and roots showed improvement in T~ treatments at all threeDry matter partitioning in leaf, stalk, leaf sheath and root tissues .improvement in stalk dry matter in T3 and T4. Other plant parts alsoimprovement in dry matter partitioning due to silica treatment but nstages (Table 4).

Cane yield attributes

Cane length, girth, weight, NMCand cane yield in different treatmentsharvest (in the month of December 2014) revealed that silica granules apimproved cane length and girth in T2 and T3 treatments. The NMC, siweight and cane yield increased in T3 treatment (Table 5).

Juice quality attributes: Juice quality determined in the month of D2014 indicated marked improvement in Brix, sucrose% juice, CCS%juicepurity in all treatments compared to control, highest improvement wasin T4 treatment (Table 5). The beneficial effects of Si were more pronoT3 & T4 where increase in CCS was over 2 uriits.

The benefits of Si for sugarcane were realised early in Hawaii in 19651966) when field experiments with calcium silicate slag gave highly sigains in tile yield of cane and sugar in an aluminous humic ferruginousoil. On these same soils it was found that limestone depressed yields soIt was concluded that Si was the component responsible for the stimula .on the growth of the crop, with a direct linear relationship between theof slag applied and the amount of silicon in the millable cane.

Significant responses to silicon treatment in both cane and sugar yields,from 10 to 38% have been reported in several sugarcane growing coincluding Hawaii, Mauritius, South Africa, Puerto Rico, Florida and A(Meyer and Keeping, 2000). There have also been a few reports dealingagronomic benefits of silicate applications from other countries such as

~UGARCANE AGRICULTURE-374

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~ain, Radha Jain & S. Solomongs of 11th Joint Convention of STAI & DSTA: 372 - 379 2015

and Indonesia. Agarei et al., (1993) indicated that silicon application wasin increasing dry matter production in the rice crop. Several reports

:. erature suggest that Si nutrition has a definite role,in sugarcane crop- ion, especially on weathered tropical soils such as Oxisols, Ultisols,- and Histosols (Savant et al, 1999). Its role in improving quality and- preservation was delineated by Alexander et al ( 1971), Si inhibit invertase_ and prevent excessive sucrose inversion in pre-harvest and post-harvest

erose inversion in sugarcane juice samples was delayed for several daysg sodium metasilicate immediately after milling. Invertase and amylase

zallyinactivated in the range of 3 to 9 micromoles of Si addition.

and Keeping (2000) highlighted Si as an important component of thee production system. A considerable amount of research has been

:ed worldwide into the Si requirement of sugarcane and the evidencethat a multi functional role may be assigned to Si in alleviating stress

~:::::1::ane.Sugarcane yield responses to Si may be associated with alleviatingtresses such as Al and Mn toxicity, moisture stress during drought,lodging, increased resistance to freezing as well as the potential forbiotic stress caused by certain diseases and pests. More recent studies

that Si also plays an active role in the biochemical processes of a plant_~T in the intracellular synthesis of organic compounds such as flavonoid1D-",,--,,-,'u..uS.

,dies have revealed that application of bio-active form of Silicon (OSA)in

e improved various parameters linked to crop growth, yield and quality._ ovement in some of these parameters ranged from 10-20% indicatingeficial effect of bio-active Si on sugarcane under sub-tropical conditions.

e.p and support received from the Director and staff of Plant Physiologyhemistry Division, Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research, Lucknow for

cring this experiment is highly appreciated .

., Uchida H., Agata W., Kubota F., Kaufman P.B. (1993). Effect of silicon- growth, dry matter production and photosynthesis in rice plant (Oryza

iva L.). CPITA.225-234, KSCS, Korea.

- er, A.G.,Acin-Diaz, N. arid Montalvo-Zapata, R. (1971). Inversion controlsugarcane juice with sodium metasilicate. Proc. Int. Soc. Sugar Canehnol. 14:794-804

A.S. (1966). Calcium silicate slag as a growth stimulant for sugarcane on-silicon soils. Soil Sci. 101(3): 216-227.

SUGARCANEAGRICULTURE-375

Beneficial effects of bio-active silicon on sugarcane growth and ...-Proceedings of 11th Joint Convention of STAI & DSTA:372 - 379

MaJ.F. (2004). Role of silicon in enhancing the resistance of plants to bio .abiotic stresses. Soil Science and Plant Nutrition 50, 11~18.

Meyer, J.H. and Keeping, M.G. (2000). Review of research into the role offor sugarcane production. In Proc South African Sugar Techno _Association 74; pp 29-40.

Savant N.K., Korndorfer G.H., DatnoffL.E., Snyder G.H. (1999) Silicon Nuand Sugarcane Production: a Review. Journal of Plant Nutrition 22, -1903.

Method offertilizerapplication

Fertilizers

TABLE 1 -APPLICATION SCHEDULE OF SILIXOL GRANULES

Time of application ApplicatischeduleSilixol Snv.a."granules

Basal 50%At the time of plantingin the month of October(Autumn planting)

1j 3rd N, and full doseofP & K (@150N:60P: 60K kgjha)

Top dressing 1 February

25%Top dressing 2 April

25%

TABLE 2 - EFFECT OF SILICA GRANULESON TILLER PRODUCTIONAND GRCHARACTERISTICSOF SUGARCANEAT DIFFERENT STAGES

No of tillers/clumpTreatment Plant Height (cm)Tillering phase Grand growth phase

T1 5.6 78.4 247.00

T2 73.5 243.716.2

T3 81.5 248.977.4

T4 74.8 233.526.1

T5 5.4 65.3 230.62

SUGARCANEAGRICULTURE-376

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TABLE 3 - EFFECT OF SILICA GRANULES ON LEAF PARAMETERS OF SUOARCAl'HDA'l'VW.lI'JDltJD.NSTAGES OF GROWTH

Leaf area SLA(cm2/ gm c:irywt) SLW(gm dry wt/ cm2)

Treat- Tillering Grand Harvest- Tillering Grand Harvest- Tillering Grand Harvestingment phase growth ing phase growth ing phase growth

phase phase phase

T1 372.0 524.75 342.25 107.4 101.48 100.85 9.85x10-3 9.85 x10"3 9.93x10-3

T2 294.7 400.50 417.66 86.0 103.45 98.13 12.2 x1O-3 10.9 x1O-3 1O.22x10-3

T3 340.5 440.25 295.69 84.1 92.19 1O?08 11.9 x1O-3 10.8 x1O-3 9.17x1O-3

T4 338.5 462.20 266.94 112.4 87.71 89.80 9.8 x1O-3 11.4 x10-3 l1.39x10-3

T5 329.2 396.25 321.94 112.8 77.77 97.77 10.6 x1O-3 12.8 x1O-3 10.25x10-3

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TABLE 4 - EFFECT OF SILICA GRANULES ON DRY MATTER PARTITIONING -SUGARCANE AT DIFFERENT STAGES

Treatment Leaf lamina Leaf sheath Root

• Tillering (May-June)

gm Fresh wt (kg)

T1 1.300 0.670 0.556 0.196

T2 1.283 0.568 0.495 0.091

T3 1.423 0.649 0.670 0.277

T4 1.500 0.741 0.528 0.084

T5 1.258 0.602 0.608 0.063

gm Dry Wt (kg)

T1 0.158 0.193 0.101 0.015

T2 0.214 0.158 0.088 0.011

T3 0.235 0.193 0.104 0.011

T4 0.218 0.224 0.099 0.015T5 0.143 0.173 0.091 0.012. Grand Growth (August)

gm Fresh wt (kg)

T1 6.735 1.009 0.788 0.067

T2 6.614 1.047 0.767 0.076

T3 6.844 1.25 0.738 0.072T4 7.86 1.269 0.898 0.086

T5 6.327 1.068 0.747 0.069

--g Dry Wt (kg)

T1 0.555 0.126 0.103 0.010T2 0.693 0.061 0.105 0.012T3 0.852 0.163 0.150 0.017T4 0.804 0.135 0.108 0.011

T5 0.513 0.095 0.058 0.007

SUGARCANEAGRICULTURE-378

_eeru Jain, Radha Jain & S. Solomon_ oceedings of 11th Joint Convention of STAI & DSTA: 372 - 379 2015

G TABLE 4 - CONTD.

Stalk Leaf lamina Leaf sheath Root Whole clumpAt Harvest (December)

gm Fresh wt (kg)

T1 5.235 0.374 0.215 0.041 5.8645

T2 6.775 0.639 0.354 0.027 7.7970

T3 6.499 0.482 0.258 0.032 7.27

T4 4.737 0.326 0.157 0.023 5.2425

T5 5.412 0.479 0.317 0.037 6.244

g DryWt (kg)

T1 1.690 0.143 0.062 0.0107 2.7499

T2 1.742 0.224 0.118 0.0082 2.0922

T3 2.952 0.173 0.082 0.0097 3.2167

T4 2.000 0.120 0.052 0.0084 2.1804

T5 1.917 0.183 0.096 0.0132 2.2092

TABLE 5 - EFFECT OF SILICA GRANULES ON YIELD ATTRIBUTES AND QUALITY OFSUGARCANE AT HARVEST

tment Cane length Cane girth Single cane Sucrose % Commercial(cm) (em) wt (kg) juice Cane Sugar

. (CCS %)333.4 3.4 0.762 10.17 6.51

336.17 3.5 0.748 11.49 7.50

354.2 3.6 0.769 12.75 8.48

322.0 3.3 0.740 12.98 8.58

294.0 2.9 .0.739 12.60 8.32

SUGARCANEAGRICULTURE-379