Silicon Fertilization Boosts Rice Yield and Fights Plant Disease Dread.
Rice blast can harm rice plants, but adding silicon to the soil can help. In this experiment, two types of rice plants were tested with different amounts of silicon. The results showed that adding silicon reduced the severity of rice blast, leading to higher rice yields. The increase in yield was due to more panicles and spikelets per square meter, as well as more filled grains. For the susceptible rice plant, rice blast had a big impact on the number of spikelets, filled grains, grain weight, and overall yield. Adding 10 grams of calcium silicate per pot at the right time can reduce rice blast and improve grain yield.