Role of Silicon in Sugarcane: A Review

Silicon (Si), the second most abundant element in earth crust (28.8%) after the oxygen (47%), is usually found as silicates or metasilicates. Most soils contain Si content in the range of 14 to 20 mg Si/l. In spite of its abundance in the biosphere, it is usually sparingly soluble and limited in availability; essentiality of Si as an essential nutrient for higher plants is difficult to prove. Sugarcane, a typical Si accumulating plant is known to absorb a large amount of silica from the soil. The benefits of Si for sugarcane were realized for the first time at Hawaii, where field amended with Si-rich compounds had significantly higher cane yield as compared to untreated control. This review is an attempt to discuss the role of silicon on nutrient uptake, alleviating biotic and abiotic stresses along with reported physio-biochemical attributes in sugarcane.