A Review on the Role of Silicon Treatment in Biotic Stress Mitigation and Citrus Production
2021
Mireille Asanzi Mvondo-She | Auges Gatabazi | Mark Delmege Laing | Ashwell Rungano Ndhlala
This paper reviews the threat of citrus pathogens during citrus production, with a focus on two pre-harvest diseases, citrus leaf spot, caused by <i>Alternaria alternata</i> (Fr.) Keissl. (1912) and brown rot, caused by <i>Phytophthora citrophthora</i> (R.E. Sm. and E.H. Sm.) Leonian, (1906) as well as green and blue mold post-harvest disease, caused by <i>Penicillium digitatum</i> (Pers.) Sacc. and <i>P. italicum</i> Wehmer, (1894), respectively. Furthermore, it reviews the role of soluble silicon, Si nutrition in biotic stress mitigation and potential mitigation mechanisms. Previous studies on the use of Si fertilizers have focused on high accumulator Si crops. These have demonstrated the potential of Si to reduce the occurrence of biotic stresses, which takes place through both physical and biochemical mechanisms. However, few studies have demonstrated the potential of Si to mitigate biotic stress in citrus, or the mechanisms involved. There is a clear need for studies on the impact of Si on various stress biochemical pathways in plants generally, and specifically for citrus due to the huge loss caused by pre- and post-harvest pathogens. This will assist in deepening our understanding of the pathophysiology which is essential to develop resistant cultivars.
Show more [+] Less [-]AGROVOC Keywords
Bibliographic information
This bibliographic record has been provided by Directory of Open Access Journals