<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p> This study aims to improve our understanding of silicon’s role in deterring herbivores from Cucumis sativa. We hypothesized that silicon’s role in plant defense is due to the presence of silica augmenting other physical and/or chemical defenses used by the plant. Using C. sativa plants treated with either a silica fertilizer treatment (Si+) or a control solution (Si-), we monitored feeding preferences of two types of herbivores, a chewing herbivore (Diabrotica balteata) and a piercing/sucking herbivore (Bemisia tabaci). Leaves from treatment plants were visited less and eaten less than leaves from control plants. We then assessed the differences in physical defenses by comparing the leaf structural components, nutrient and water content, and trichome density between treatment and control plants. For chemical plant defenses, we measured leaf carbon and nitrogen levels in, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from treatment and control plants. We found no significant difference between treatment and control plants in: lignin content, most elemental plant nutrients, water content, trichome density, and quantity of carbon and nitrogen. We did see an increase in the VOC Indole, known for plant defense priming, an increase in phosphorous levels and a decrease in cellulose levels in silica treated plants.</p></abstract>

This study aims to improve our understanding of silicon’s role in deterring herbivores from Cucumis sativa. We hypothesized that silicon’s role in plant defense is due to the presence of silica augmenting other physical and/or chemical defenses used by the plant. Using C. sativa plants treated with either a silica fertilizer treatment (Si+) or a control solution (Si-), we monitored feeding preferences of two types of herbivores, a chewing herbivore (Diabrotica balteata) and a piercing/sucking herbivore (Bemisia tabaci). Leaves from treatment plants were visited less and eaten less than leaves from control plants. We then assessed the differences in physical defenses by comparing the leaf structural components, nutrient and water content, and trichome density between treatment and control plants. For chemical plant defenses, we measured leaf carbon and nitrogen levels in, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from treatment and control plants. We found no significant difference between treatment and control plants in: lignin content, most elemental plant nutrients, water content, trichome density, and quantity of carbon and nitrogen. We did see an increase in the VOC Indole, known for plant defense priming, an increase in phosphorous levels and a decrease in cellulose levels in silica treated plants.

The Effects of Silica Fertilizer as an Anti-Herbivore Defense in Cucumber

Journal of Horticultural Research

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

{"article-title":"The Effects of Silica Fertilizer as an Anti-Herbivore Defense in Cucumber"}

This study aims to improve our understanding of silicon’s role in deterring herbivores from Cucumis sativa. We hypothesized that silicon’s role in plant...

The Effects of Silica Fertilizer as an Anti-Herbivore Defense in Cucumber

Published Online: Jun 30, 2017

Page range: 89 - 98

Received: Aug 01, 2016

Accepted: Mar 01, 2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/johr-2017-0010

Keywords
silica, cucumber, Bemisia tabaci, Cucumis sativa, Diabrotica balteata, Indole

© by Kristine L. Callis-Duehl

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

The Effects of Silica Fertilizer as an Anti-Herbivore Defense in Cucumber

Published Online: Jun 30, 2017

Page range: 89 - 98

Received: Aug 01, 2016

Accepted: Mar 01, 2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/johr-2017-0010

Keywordssilica, cucumber, Bemisia tabaci, Cucumis sativa, Diabrotica balteata, Indole

© by Kristine L. Callis-Duehl

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Keywords
silica, cucumber, Bemisia tabaci, Cucumis sativa, Diabrotica balteata, Indole