Effects of Silicate Fertilizer on Growth and Silicic Acid Accumulation in Turfgrass

Takayasu Inoue, Masatsugu Hashiguchi, Kazuya Koga, Melody Muguerza, Hidenori Tanaka and Ryo Akashi

Background and Objective: Silicon is a globally important soil nutrient to crops for productivity and alleviates the effects of environmental stress in higher plants, including turfgrass. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of silicate fertilizer in two turfgrass species, Zoysia matrella ‘Wakaba’ and creeping bentgrass, Agrostis stolonifera ‘Nightlife’, in terms of plant growth, coverage rate, silicic acid content in shoots and roots and root elongation and growth in both turfgrasses. Materials and Methods: The Z. matrella and creeping bentgrass were cultured under SiO₂ treatments (0, 500 and 1,000 g m^–2). Plant height, number of shoots, stolon length and coverage were investigated in Z. matrella. In addition, dry matter weight and silicic acid content of shoots, stolons and roots were analyzed in Z. matrella and the same was done in creeping bentgrass except stolons. Results: Silicate treatments tended to increase plant growth, coverage rate, dry matter weight and shoot silicon content in Z. matrella and increased silicon content of shoots and roots in creeping bentgrass. Conclusion: Higher silicic acid content in the shoots than in roots of Z. matrella and creeping bentgrass confirms that they are both silicon-accumulating species. Moreover, the content of silicic acid in Z. matrella increased in the order of roots, stolons and shoots which suggests the existence of a gradual silicic acid transport mechanism in Zoysia species.

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