Silicon supplementation improves yield and silicon uptake in maize at eastern Ganges delta coastal soils

Abstract

Silicon (Si) is a beneficial plant nutrient with the potential to make plants tolerant to biotic and abiotic stresses; however, it’s effect on improve yield and Si uptake in maize at Ganges delta coastal zone soils has not been investigated. The purpose of the study was to find out the contribution of Si to improve maize yield and Si uptake especially under nutrient deficit conditions. A field experiment was conducted in dry season of 2021 and 2022 using a popular maize variety Don-111. The experiment was laid out in two factors randomized complete block design having two levels of Si (0 and 20 kg Si ha⁻¹ rate as sodium metasilicate), and four levels of NPK fertilizers (40%, 60%, 80% and 100%). The 100% NPK indicates 225:60:80 kg ha⁻¹ N:P:K, respectively. In 2021 the 20 kg Si ha⁻¹ rate with 40%, 60%, 80, and 100% NPK rate recorded grain yield of 7.52, 8.73, 9.95 and 11.16 t ha⁻¹, respectively which was 17.9%, 15.0%, 8.6%, and 7.8% higher, and in 2022 the grain yield of 6.31, 7.82, 8.83 and 9.62 t ha⁻¹, which was 28.0%, 16.4%, 16.3%, and 6.3%, respectively, higher than the respective control treatment. All other growth, yield and yield contributing characters, and Si content in plant was improved by Si application, however, the maximum cases rate of increment was higher in lower rates of NPK fertilizers. Silicon application is therefore recommended for the improvement of maize growth and yield at the eastern Ganges delta coastal plains.

Keywords:

• Grain yield
• maize
• NPK fertilizers
• silicon uptake
• silicon use efficiency

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the project, “Nutrient Management for Diversified Cropping in Bangladesh”, co-funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (LWR/2016/136) and the Krishi Gobeshona Foundation, Bangladesh (ICP-II) for funding the study.

Authors’ contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, experimentation, data collection and analysis were performed by Mohammad Asadul Haque. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Mohammad Asadul Haque. Aysha Mobaswera, Mansura Akter Sume and Samsunnahar Pranto performed the chemical analysis of soil and plant samples. Md Jahiruddin, Md Fazlul Hoque and Richard William Bell revised and improved the manuscript. Richard William Bell arranged funding for the study work. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data availability statement

The analyzed datasets are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Australian Center for International Agricultural Research (grant number LWR/2016/136) and Krishi Gobeshona Foundation, Bangladesh (grant number ICP-II).