Abstract The benefits of silicon for different plant species have been described in many studies in both soilless and traditional soil culture systems. The aim of this work was to quantify the effect of Si on leaf cuticles under different fertigation regimes and the relationship of this effect to water, potassium and nitrate absorption, vegetative growth and plant protection. Cucumber, melon and pepper plants were transplanted into coconut fiber containers with Si in the nutrient solution at 0.6 mM (+Si) and without Si (-Si) under optimal fertigation (OF) and moderate deficit fertigation (DF) conditions. Absorption of water, nitrate and potassium, vegetative growth, leaf firmness, loss of water through cuticle transpiration, cuticle thickness, number of trichomes and Si content in the epidermis and trichomes were measured. Trichome numbers, cuticle thickness and Si content were examined using light and SEM microscopes equipped for X-ray microanalysis. Resistance to two pathogens, Botrytis cinerea and Erysiphe cichoracearum, was also measured. The results show a loss of growth in the three cv. under DF that was alleviated when Si was supplied in the nutrient solution. +Si significantly improved water absorption and decreased leaf loss, which may explain the improvement shown in the growth parameters. +Si showed clear and significant growth increases in both the epidermis and the cuticle, which could justify both the observed greater resistance to diseases and the lower rates of water loss from the leaves. The three cv. showed high concentrations of Si in the trichomes, even under -Si treatments with a mean Si concentration lower than that in the +Si treatments.

中文翻译：

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营养液中Si对叶片角质层的影响

摘要 在无土和传统土壤培养系统的许多研究中，已经描述了硅对不同植物物种的益处。这项工作的目的是量化 Si 在不同施肥方式下对叶表皮的影响，以及这种影响与水、钾和硝酸盐吸收、营养生长和植物保护的关系。在最佳灌溉施肥 (OF) 和适度亏缺灌溉施肥 (DF) 条件下，将黄瓜、甜瓜和胡椒植株移植到含有 0.6 mM (+Si) 和不含 Si (-Si) 营养液中的 Si 的椰子纤维容器中。测量了水分、硝酸盐和钾的吸收、营养生长、叶片硬度、通过角质层蒸腾作用损失的水分、角质层厚度、毛状体数量以及表皮和毛状体中的硅含量。毛数，使用配备 X 射线微量分析的光学显微镜和 SEM 显微镜检查表皮厚度和 Si 含量。还测量了对两种病原体灰葡萄孢和菊苣白粉菌的抗性。结果显示三个cv的增长损失。当在营养液中加入 Si 时，DF 下的这种情况得到缓解。+Si 显着提高了吸水率并减少了叶片损失，这可以解释生长参数中显示的改进。+Si 在表皮和角质层中均显示出明显且显着的生长增加，这可以证明观察到的更强的抗病性和更低的叶子失水率是合理的。三个简历。即使在平均 Si 浓度低于 +Si 处理的 -Si 处理下，毛状体中也显示出高浓度的 Si。