Review of Research into the Role of Silicon for Sugarcane Production

Although silicon (Si) is one of the most abundant elements found in the earth’s crust, it is mostly inert and only slightly soluble and available to plants. With the exception of potassium, sugarcane is known to take up more Si than any other mineral nutrient, with the potential to accumulate up to 400 kg ha of Si, in a 12-month old irrigated crop. This paper documents some of the more important studies and outcomes of research into the Si requirement of sugarcane in countries such as Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Australia, Mauritius and South Africa. Early field studies conducted in South Africa have shown that four out of five field trials produced significant responses to the application of calcium silicate and these varied from 9 to 24 tc/ha. Current research in South Africa is focussed on the association between Si assimilation and host-plant resistance to the stalk borer Eldana saccharina Walker (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) and conducting surveys of the silicon status of cane based on leaf and soil sample analysis.