The Role of Silicon in Crop Stress Tolerance
A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Soil and Plant Nutrition".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 May 2026 | Viewed by 48
Special Issue Editors
Interests: soil chemistry and fertility; agronomic efficiency of phosphate fertilizers; use of industrial and urban waste in agriculture; silicon in the soil–plant system
Interests: soil chemistry and fertility; fertilizers, correctives, and agro-Industrial and urban waste; silicon in the soil–plant system
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Silicon (Si) is a beneficial element for plants that has been recognized as quasi-essential due to its structural role in accumulator plants. Si plays a fundamental role in mitigating various biotic and abiotic stresses through structural, physiological, and biochemical mechanisms. The role of Si in increasing resistance to pests and diseases, enhancing the activity of antioxidant enzymes, reducing transpiration, and mitigating stresses caused by toxicity (Na, Al, Mn, and Fe) or nutritional deficiency (e.g., N, P, and K) through various mechanisms is not fully understood.
Si is involved in cellular signaling via specific transporters, hormonal regulation, and the modulation of gene expression under various stress conditions. However, further advances are necessary in order to elucidate these processes and clarify the primary role that Si has in plant development and stress alleviation. This Special Issue aims to advance our understanding of the role of silicon in sustainable agriculture by integrating biochemical and plant physiology perspectives, as well as explore the role of Si in the stress tolerance mechanisms of crops of agronomic importance.
We invite submissions including, but not limited to, the following areas: (i) soil–plant–microorganism interactions mediated by silicon under stress conditions; (ii) Si-induced mechanisms of abiotic or biotic stress tolerance in plants; (iii) signaling mechanisms involved in Si uptake; and (iv) biochemical and physiological responses mediated by Si–P interactions in cultivated plants.
Dr. Leonardo Theodoro Büll
Dr. Dirceu Maximino Fernandes
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- silicon
- silicates
- beneficial element
- silicon bioavailability
- silicon–phosphorus interaction
- silicon quasi-essential nutrient
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