Phytopathology (2014) 104, 143-149

Carlos Eduardo Aucique Perez, Fabrício Ávila Rodrigues, Wiler Ribas Moreira and Fábio Murilo DaMatta (2014)
Leaf gas exchange and chlorophyll a fluorescence in wheat plants supplied with silicon and infected with Pyricularia oryzae
Phytopathology 104 (2), 143-149
Abstract: This study investigated the effect of silicon (Si) on the photosynthetic gas exchange parameters (net CO₂ assimilation rate [A], stomatal conductance to water vapor [g_s], internal CO₂ concentration [C_i], and transpiration rate [E]) and chlorophyll fluorescence a parameters (maximum quantum quenching [F_v/F_m and F_v'/F_m' ], photochemical [q_P] and nonphotochemical [NPQ] quenching coefficients, and electron transport rate [ETR]) in wheat plants grown in a nutrient solution containing 0 mM (-Si) or 2 mM (+Si) Si and noninoculated or inoculated with Pyricularia oryzae. Blast severity decreased due to higher foliar Si concentration. For the inoculated +Si plants, A, g_s, and E were significantly higher in contrast to the inoculated -Si plants. For the inoculated +Si plants, significant differences of F_v/F_m between the -Si and +Si plants occurred at 48, 96, and 120 h after inoculation (hai) and at 72, 96, and 120 hai for F_v'/F_m'. The F_v/F_m and F_v'/F_m', in addition to total chlorophyll concentration (a + b) and the chlorophyll a/b ratio, significantly decreased in the -Si plants compared with the +Si plants. Significant differences between the -Si and +Si inoculated plants occurred for q_P, NPQ, and ETR. The supply of Si contributed to decrease blast severity in addition to improving gas exchange performance and causing less dysfunction at the photochemical level.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Fabrício A. Rodrigues

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
general biology - morphology - evolution
resistance/tolerance/defence of host

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Pyricularia oryzae	Wheat (Triticum)