More consistency in fruit size, better skin retention, and greater yield and quality can be achieved using Agrisilica™.
Agrisilica is a natural silicon mineral fertiliser, registered as an input in organic agriculture.
Derived from the mineral diatomite, Agrisilica contains high levels plant available silica (monosilicic acid) making it ideal as a source of silicon.
Agrisilica also has a high CEC and water holding capacity, making it a useful soil amendment in addition to its silicon properties .
Crop responses
Crop responses to the nutrient silicon are becoming increasingly common as soils are depleted of silicon.
Crop removal of silicon (in fruit and nuts etc.) is often as high as the macro nutrients, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, and because there's no silicon in most fertilisers, silicon in a form available to plants is being depleted.
How it works
The plant available silicon contained in Agrisilica works in the following ways to improve soil health, tree health, crop yields and crop quality:
- Agrisilica regulates the uptake of plant essential nutrients thereby enabling crops to grow better.
Research has proven that silicon improves the uptake and utilisation of several essential nutrients including nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and calcium. - The mechanisms behind these benefits are multifaceted and include both in-soil and in-plant processes.
- Agrisilica stimulates the plants immune response in response to disease.
Research has shown that silicon assists in the production of pathogen–resistant proteins, antioxidant and antimicrobial compounds as well as strengthening cell walls which prevents pathogens from entering the plant. This response is called Systemic Acquired Resistance (SAR). - Agrisilica is effective in preventing incidence of fungal diseases e.g. powdery mildew. It does this by stimulating the plants immune response (see above) and increasing the strength of the plant cell walls preventing the disease form entering the plant.
- Agrisilica improves the plants ability to resist the effects of chewing and sucking insects such as aphids.
- By increasing the strength of the plant cell walls, insects find it more difficult to penetrate or chew.
- Agrisilica reduces the negative impact of high soil salinity levels and high salt levels in irrigation water.
Research has shown that silicon decreases plasma membrane permeability, increasing the activity of antioxidant enzymes and inhibiting the transport of salt to the leaves.
Silicon also prevents the accumulation of sodium in salt stressed plants through silicon induced reduction in transpiration. - Agrisilica increases the rate of photosynthesis. Silicon deposited in cell walls means that leaves are more erect and can capture more sunlight. This is important particularly in greenhouse crops grown in cloudy conditions. Silica also increases the amount of chlorophyll in leaves often making them a darker green colour.
- Agrisilica increases plant root biomass. Research has shown the silicon increases the length and number of roots.
- Agrisilica reduces the effect of heavy metal toxicity e.g. aluminium and cadmium. The mechanisms behind these benefits are multifaceted and include both in-soil and in-plant processes.
Independent trials conducted in tree crops in Australia and overseas have consistently shown that use of Agrisilica can result in improved yields (measured by increased fruit number and weight) and increased quality (e.g. brix levels, size).
For more information contact
Conrad Leeks 0466 644 026 (Vic, SA, Tas,
S–NSW)
Riaan Breedt 0438 954 500 (Qld, N–NSW)
www.agripower.com.au
See this article in Tree Fruit Jan 2018
