Silicon boosts cucumber plant growth under salt stress, increasing food production.
The study looked at how adding silicon to cucumber plants grown in salty water affects their ability to photosynthesize. They found that salt stress reduced the plants' photosynthesis by 25%, but adding silicon increased it by 17%. Salt also harmed the plants' chlorophyll levels, but silicon helped increase them. Overall, adding silicon to the plants improved their photosynthesis and increased the amount of important pigments in the leaves.
