scholarly journals Leaf Fresh Weight Versus Dry Weight: Which is Better for Describing the Scaling Relationship between Leaf Biomass and Leaf Area for Broad-Leaved Plants?

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weiwei Huang ◽  
David Ratkowsky ◽  
Cang Hui ◽  
Ping Wang ◽  
Jialu Su ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Mass ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Dry Mass ◽  
Leaf Biomass ◽  
Scaling Exponent ◽  
Fresh Weight ◽  
Leaf Dry Mass ◽  
Scaling Relationship ◽  
Leaf Dry Weight ◽  
Broad Leaved Species

Leaf dry mass per unit area (LMA) is considered to represent the photosynthetic capacity, which actually implies a hypothesis that foliar water mass (leaf fresh weight minus leaf dry weight) is proportional to leaf dry weight during leaf growth. However, relevant studies demonstrated that foliar water mass disproportionately increases with increasing leaf dry weight. Although scaling relationships of leaf dry weight vs. leaf area for many plants were investigated, few studies compared the scaling relationship based on leaf dry weight with that based on leaf fresh weight. In this study, we used the data of three families (Lauraceae, Oleaceae, and Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae) with five broad-leaved species for each family to examine whether using different measures for leaf biomass (i.e., dry weight and fresh weight) can result in different fitted results for the scaling relationship between leaf biomass and area. Reduced major axis regression was used to fit the log-transformed data of leaf biomass and area, and the bootstrap percentile method was used to test the significance of the difference between the estimate of the scaling exponent of leaf dry weight vs. area and that of leaf fresh weight vs. area. We found that there were five species across three families (Phoebe sheareri (Hemsl.) Gamble, Forsythia viridissima Lindl., Osmanthus fragrans Lour., Chimonobambusa sichuanensis (T.P. Yi) T.H. Wen, and Hibanobambusa tranquillans f. shiroshima H. Okamura) whose estimates of the scaling exponent of leaf dry weight to area and that of leaf fresh weight to area were not significantly different, whereas, for the remaining ten species, both estimates were significantly different. For the species in the same family whose leaf shape is narrow (i.e., a low ratio of leaf width to length) the estimates of two scaling exponents are prone to having a significant difference. There is also an allometric relationship between leaf dry weight and fresh weight, which means that foliar water mass disproportionately increases with increased leaf dry weight. In addition, the goodness of fit for the scaling relationship of leaf fresh weight vs. area is better than that for leaf dry weight vs. area, which suggests that leaf fresh mass might be more able to reflect the physiological functions of leaves associated with photosynthesis and respiration than leaf dry mass. The above conclusions are based on 15 broad-leaved species, although we believe that those conclusions may be potentially extended to other plants with broad and flat leaves.

scholarly journals Comparison of the Scaling Relationships of Leaf Biomass versus Surface Area between Spring and Summer for Two Deciduous Tree Species

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1010
Author(s):  
Mengdi Liu ◽  
Karl J. Niklas ◽  
Ülo Niinemets ◽  
Dirk Hölscher ◽  
Long Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Shape ◽  
Dry Mass ◽  
Fresh Mass ◽  
Deciduous Tree ◽  
Leaf Biomass ◽  
Scaling Exponent ◽  
Scaling Exponents ◽  
Leaf Dry Mass ◽  
Scaling Relationship ◽  
Adult Trees

The scaling relationship between either leaf dry or fresh mass (M) and surface area (A) can reflect the photosynthetic potential and efficiency of light harvesting in different broad-leaved plants. In growing leaves, lamina area expansion is typically finished before the completion of leaf biomass accumulation, thereby affecting the M vs. A scaling relationship at different developmental stages of leaves (e.g., young vs. adult leaves). In addition, growing plants can have different-sized leaves at different plant ages, potentially also changing M vs. A scaling. Furthermore, leaf shape can also change during the course of ontogeny and modify the M vs. A scaling relationship. Indeed, the effect of seasonal changes in leaf shape on M vs. A scaling has not been examined in any previous studies known to us. The study presented here was conducted using two deciduous tree species: Alangium chinense (saplings forming leaves through the growing season) and Liquidambar formosana (adult trees producing only one leaf flush in spring) that both have complex but nearly bilaterally symmetrical leaf shapes. We determined (i) whether leaf shapes differed in spring versus summer; (ii) whether the M vs. A scaling relationship varied over time; and (iii) whether there is a link between leaf shape and the scaling exponent governing the M vs. A scaling relationship. The data indicated that (i) the leaf dissection index in spring was higher than that in summer for both species (i.e., leaf-shape complexity decreased from young to adult leaves); (ii) there was a significant difference in the numerical value of the scaling exponent of leaf perimeter vs. area between leaves sampled at the two dates; (iii) spring leaves had a higher water content than summer leaves, and the scaling exponents of dry mass vs. area and fresh mass vs. area were all greater than unity; (iv) the scaling relationship between fresh mass and area was statistically more robust than that between leaf dry mass and area; (v) the scaling exponents of leaf dry and fresh mass vs. area of A. chinense leaves in spring were greater than those in summer (i.e., leaves in younger plants tend to be larger than leaves in older plants), whereas, for the adult trees of L. formosana, the scaling exponent in spring was smaller than that in summer, indicating increases in leaf dry mass per unit area with increasing leaf age; and (vi) leaf shape appears not to be related to the scaling relationship between either leaf dry or fresh mass and area, but is correlated with the scaling exponent of leaf perimeter vs. area (which tends to be a ½ power function). These trends indicate that studies of leaf morphometrics and scaling relationships must consider the influence of seasonality and plant age in sampling of leaves and the interpretation of data.

scholarly journals Scaling Relationships between Leaf Shape and Area of 12 Rosaceae Species

Symmetry ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaojing Yu ◽  
Cang Hui ◽  
Hardev S. Sandhu ◽  
Zhiyi Lin ◽  
Peijian Shi
Keyword(s):  
Surface Area ◽  
Leaf Surface ◽  
Leaf Shape ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Leaf Width ◽  
Scaling Exponent ◽  
Rosaceae Species ◽  
Scaling Relationship ◽  
Leaf Surface Area ◽  
Leaf Dry Weight

Leaf surface area (A) and leaf shape have been demonstrated to be closely correlated with photosynthetic rates. The scaling relationship between leaf biomass (both dry weight and fresh weight) and A has been widely studied. However, few studies have focused on the scaling relationship between leaf shape and A. Here, using more than 3600 leaves from 12 Rosaceae species, we examined the relationships of the leaf-shape indices including the left to right side leaf surface area ratio (AR), the ratio of leaf perimeter to leaf surface area (RPA), and the ratio of leaf width to length (RWL) versus A. We also tested whether there is a scaling relationship between leaf dry weight and A, and between PRA and A. There was no significant correlation between AR and A for each of the 12 species. Leaf area was also found to be independent of RWL because leaf width remained proportional to leaf length across the 12 species. However, there was a negative correlation between RPA and A. The scaling relationship between RPA and A held for each species, and the estimated scaling exponent of RPA versus A approached −1/2; the scaling relationship between leaf dry weight and A also held for each species, and 11 out of the 12 estimated scaling exponents of leaf dry weight versus A were greater than unity. Our results indicated that leaf surface area has a strong scaling relationship with leaf perimeter and also with leaf dry weight but has no relationship with leaf symmetry or RWL. Additionally, our results showed that leaf dry weight per unit area, which is usually associated with the photosynthetic capacity of plants, increases with an increasing A because the scaling exponent of leaf dry weight versus A is greater than unity. This suggests that a large leaf surface area requires more dry mass input to support the physical structure of the leaf.

scholarly journals Increase in Absolute Leaf Water Content Tends to Keep Pace with That of Leaf Dry Mass—Evidence from Bamboo Plants

Symmetry ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 1345
Author(s):  
Weiwei Huang ◽  
Gadi V. P. Reddy ◽  
Yueyi Li ◽  
Jørgen Bo Larsen ◽  
Peijian Shi
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Leaf Area ◽  
Dry Mass ◽  
Leaf Water ◽  
Fresh Mass ◽  
Leaf Water Content ◽  
Scaling Exponent ◽  
Venation Pattern ◽  
Leaf Dry Mass ◽  
Scaling Relationship

Leaves, as the most important photosynthetic organ of plants, are intimately associated with plant function and adaptation to environmental changes. The scaling relationship of the leaf dry mass (or the fresh mass) vs. leaf surface area has been referred to as “diminishing returns”, suggesting that the leaf area fails to increase in proportion to leaf dry mass (or fresh mass). However, previous studies used materials across different families, and there is lack of studies testing whether leaf fresh mass is proportional to the leaf dry mass for the species in the same family, and examining the influence of the scaling of leaf dry mass vs. fresh mass on two kinds of diminishing returns based on leaf dry mass and fresh mass. Bamboo plants (Poaceae: Bambusoideae) are good materials for doing such a study, which have astonishingly similar leaf shapes across species. Bamboo leaves have a typical parallel venation pattern. In general, a parallel venation pattern tends to produce a more stable symmetrical leaf shape than the pinnate and palmate venation patterns. The symmetrical parallel veins enable leaves to more regularly hold water, which is more likely to result in a proportional relationship between the leaf dry mass and absolute water content, which consequently determines whether the scaling exponent of the leaf dry mass vs. area is significantly different from (or the same as) that of the leaf fresh mass vs. area. In the present study, we used the data of 101 bamboo species, cultivars, forms and varieties (referred to as 101 (bamboo) taxa below for convenience) to analyze the scaling relationships between the leaf dry mass and area, and between leaf fresh mass and area. We found that the confidence intervals of the scaling exponents of the leaf fresh mass vs. dry mass of 68 out of the 101 taxa included unity, which indicates that for most bamboo species (67.3%), the increase in leaf water mass keeps pace with that of leaf dry mass. There was a significant scaling relationship between either leaf dry mass or fresh mass, and the leaf surface area for each studied species. We found that there was no significant difference between the scaling exponent of the leaf dry mass vs. leaf area and that of the leaf fresh mass vs. leaf area when the leaf dry mass was proportional to the leaf fresh mass. The goodness of fit to the linearized scaling relationship of the leaf fresh mass vs. area was better than that of the leaf dry mass vs. area for each of the 101 bamboo taxa. In addition, there were significant differences in the normalized constants of the leaf dry mass vs. fresh mass among the taxa (i.e., the differences in leaf water content), which implies the difference in the adaptabilities to different environments across the taxa.

Effects of Glyphosate on Growth and the Chlorophyll and Carotenoid Levels of Yellow Nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus)

Weed Science ◽  
1985 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 751-754 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. J. Cañal Villanueva ◽  
B. Fernandez Muñiz ◽  
R. Sanchez Tames
Keyword(s):  
Root Development ◽  
Foliar Spray ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Shoot Formation ◽  
Cyperus Esculentus ◽  
Fresh Weight ◽  
Yellow Nutsedge ◽  
Underground System ◽  
Leaf Dry Weight ◽  
Secondary Shoot

Growth and the chlorophyll and carotenoid contents were measured in greenhouse-grown yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentusL. ♯ CYPES), following treatment with glyphosate [N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine]. Herbicide was applied as a foliar spray at concentrations of 0.1, 1.0, 5.0, and 10.0 mM. After 2 weeks, growth was inhibited, and chlorosis and leaf apex necrosis were observed. Plant height was reduced, leaf fresh weight was decreased by 40%, and leaf dry weight was slightly affected. Rhizome, tuber, and secondary shoot formation was strongly inhibited, but root development was not affected by glyphosate treatment. With the 10-mM treatment, dry weight of the underground system was reduced by 80%. Chlorophyll and carotenoid levels were decreased by 52 and 54%, respectively, following glyphosate treatment.

scholarly journals Effect of Nitrogen Fertilizer and Plant Spacing on Vegetative Growth of Sugar Beet (Beta vulgaris)

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-13
Author(s):  
Baha Eldin. M. Idris ◽  
Wael. A. Marajan ◽  
Abubaker Haroun Mohamed Adam
Keyword(s):  
Sugar Beet ◽  
Leaf Area Index ◽  
Leaf Area ◽  
Nitrogen Fertilizer ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Root Diameter ◽  
Plant Spacing ◽  
Fresh Weight ◽  
Area Index ◽  
Leaf Dry Weight

Despite the existing several Sugar manufacturing companies in Sudan, there is an acute shortage in sugar supply, therefore the government imports Sugar to bridge the gap. One of the strategies to be followed is the introduction of Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) crop, mainly for sugar production. This crop has several advantages over Sugarcane such as short duration, less water requirement, in addition to other uses like animal feed. Therefore it became necessary to have good understanding of agricultural operations, cultural practices and adaptation. However, the main objective of this study was to assess the effect of Nitrogen fertilizer and plant spacing on vegetative growth of Sugar beet. This study was conducted at the farm of the College of Agriculture, University of Bahri, Alkadro, Khartoum State-Sudan; during the season 2016/2017. The experiment was arranged in Split plot in Randomized Complete Block Design with six treatments and four replications. Two plant spacing (15 and 20 cm.) were used as main plot, referred as (S1, S2) along with three levels of Nitrogen fertilizer (40, 80 and 120 kg/ha.), as subplot; referred as (N1, N2 and N3) and the control (0). Data regarding leaf number, leaf area index (LAI), leaf dry weight (g) (LDW), root diameter (mm.) and root fresh weight were recorded and statistically analyzed. The results showed S2 (20 cm) increased all the studied plant characters, namely the leaf number (29.139), leaf area index by (7.54), leaf dry weight (g) to (89.870), root diameter (mm) (94,992), root fresh weight (g) (695.80) compared to S1(1015 cm). On the other hand; the application of N3 (120 kg/ha.) increased the lead number (30.956), leaf Area Index (8.841), Leaf dry weight (102.47), root diameter (97.955) and root fresh weight (851.77) compared to S2 and S1 as presented in (table 4, table 5 and table 6).

scholarly journals Pemanfaatan tandan kosong kelapa sawit sisa jamur merang (Volvariella volvacea)(TKSJ) sebagai pupuk organik pada pembibitan kelapa sawit Utilization of spent mushroom (Volvariella volvacea) media derived from empty fruit bunches of oil palm (SMEB) as organic fertilizer on oil palm seedling

2016 ◽  
Vol 75 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Happy WIDIASTUTI ◽  
. TRI-PANJI
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Oil Palm ◽  
Growth Parameters ◽  
Organic Fertilizer ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Chemical Fertilizer ◽  
Volvariella Volvacea ◽  
Fresh Weight ◽  
Empty Fruit Bunches ◽  
Leaf Dry Weight

SummaryThe utilization of lignocellulolitic emptyfruit-bunches of oil-palm (EFBOP) material asstraw mushroom (Volvariella volvacea) mediacould produce short chain organic carbon andnutrients which may be available for growth ofplant. This research was aimed to determine theeffect of spent mushroom media amendmentderived from empty fruit bunches of oil palm(SMEB) as organic fertilizer on the growth andnutrient uptake of oil palm seedling. Theexperiment was conducted at greenhouse usingacid soil. Oil palm seedling was grown in 60 x 50cm polybags. The experiment was carried out toexamine 20 treatments i.e. combinations of fourlevel of SMEB (0, 25%, 50%, and 75% w/w) andfive dosages of conventional fertilizer (0, 25%,50%, 75%, and 100%) recommended dosages.The experiment was conducted using completerandomized design with factorial type. Theresearch showed that the amendment of SMEB atthe level of 25% could increase the height ofseedling, fresh weight of root, stem, and seedlingsas well as dry weight of oil palm stem. However,for leaf dry weight, a higher addition of SMEB upto 50% was needed. Fertilizing at 25% ofrecommended dosage could increase the seedlingheight, fresh weight of stem and leaf while forseedling fresh weight and leaf number, higheraddition of fertilizer up to 50% was needed.Significantly higher uptake of K and Mg wasobserved on the amendment of 75% of SMEB.The higher addition of SMEB (up to 75% w/w)did not decrease any growth parameters andnutrient uptake. However, the addition of 100%of recommended chemical fertilizer tended todecrease various growth parameters and uptakeof N, P, K, and Mg of oil palm seedling.RingkasanPenggunaan bahan lignoselulosa sebagaimedium jamur merang (Volvariella volvacea)diketahui dapat menghasilkan senyawa karbonrantai pendek demikian pula hara tersedia,sehingga diduga bahan ini dapat digunakansebagai pupuk organik untuk tanaman. Penelitiandilakukan untuk mengetahui pengaruh pemberiantandan kosong kelapa sawit (TKKS) sisa mediumjamur merang (TKSJ) terhadap pertumbuhan danserapan hara bibit kelapa sawit. Percobaandilakukan di rumah kaca menggunakan tanahbereaksi masam. TKKS sisa medium jamurmerang (TKSJ) sesuai dosis perlakuan dicampurdengan tanah dan selanjutnya bibit kelapa sawitditanam di polibag berukuran 60 x 50 cm.Percobaan dilakukan untuk menguji 20 perlakuanyang merupakan kombinasi empat tingkat TKSJ(0, 25%, 50% dan 75% b/b) dan lima dosis pupukkonvensional (0, 25%, 50%, 75% dan 100%)dosis rekomendasi. Percobaan dilakukan meng-gunakan rancangan acak lengkap dengan polafaktorial. Hasil percobaan menunjukkan bahwapemberian TKSJ pada tingkat 25% dapatmeningkatkan tinggi bibit, bobot basah akar,batang, dan bibit serta bobot kering batangkelapa sawit. Namun, untuk peubah bobot keringdaun diperlukan pemberian TKSJ yang lebihtinggi yaitu 50%. Pemupukan pada dosis 25%rekomendasi meningkatkan tinggi, bobot basahbatang dan daun sedangkan untuk jumlah daundan bobot basah bibit diperlukan dosis pupuk50%. Serapan hara K dan Mg nyata lebih tinggipada pemberian 75% TKSJ. Pemberian TKSJpada jumlah yang tinggi (hingga 75% b/b) tidakmenyebabkan penurunan berbagai peubah per-tumbuhan dan serapan hara, namun pemberianpupuk 100% rekomendasi cenderung menurun-kan berbagai peubah pertumbuhan dan serapanhara N, P, K, dan Mg bibit kelapa sawit.

scholarly journals Weed-Competitive Ability of Forage Maize Cultivars against Barnyardgrass

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 174
Author(s):  
Khawar Jabran
Keyword(s):  
Competitive Ability ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Leaf Length ◽  
Fresh Weight ◽  
Forage Maize ◽  
Shoot Dry Weight ◽  
Maize Cultivars ◽  
Maize Plants ◽  
Leaf Dry Weight

Weed-competitive cultivars are desired in the wake of growing popularity of organic farming, environmental pollution and evolution of herbicide resistance in weeds. This research work evaluated the weed competitive ability of three forage maize cultivars (ADA-523, AGA and SASA-5) against the noxious weed barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P.Beauv.). The study was conducted in spring 2018 and repeated in summer 2018. Results of this study showed that maize-barnyardgrass competition significantly decreased the growth of forage maize plants. For instance, barnyardgrass decreased the maize plant height by 11.9-16.9%, leaf length by 13.3-20.2%, leaf width by 20.2-27.4%, and number of leaves by 14.3-25.0%. Fresh and dry weights of maize plants were also significantly decreased as a result of weed-crop competition. Barnyardgrass decreased the shoot fresh weight (30.7-60.6%), shoot dry weight (33.3-52.2%), leaf fresh weight (33.4-56.5%) and leaf dry weight (31.9-50.0%) of the maize plants. An interactive effect of weed × maize cultivars was found non-significant. Forage maize cultivars also varied occasionally for their traits. Nevertheless, ADA-523 had a higher plant height, leaf length, leaf width, leaf fresh weight and leaf dry weight than the cultivars AGA and SASA-5. On the other hand, the cultivar SASA-5 had a higher shoot fresh weight, shoot dry weight and root fresh weight than the other cultivars in the study. This research work concluded that the forage maize cultivars in the study did not vary for the weed-competitive ability. Further, barnyardgrass-maize competition could decrease the growth and development of the maize cultivars.

scholarly journals Response of Sugar Beet (Beta vulgaris L.) Growth, Yield and Yield Components to Compost and Phosphorus Fertilizers

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-22
Author(s):  
Wael. A. Marajan ◽  
Baha Eldin. M. Idris ◽  
Abubaker Haroun Mohamed Adam
Keyword(s):  
Sugar Beet ◽  
Leaf Area Index ◽  
Leaf Area ◽  
Yield Components ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Root Diameter ◽  
Fresh Weight ◽  
Area Index ◽  
Yield And Yield Components ◽  
Leaf Dry Weight

Sugar beet is one of the sugar crops which widely grown in different regions of the world due to its advantages over Sugarcane. Several studies were conducted in Sudan to assess its adaptation and economic value. However, the aim of this experiment was to study the effect of application of compost and different levels of phosphorus fertilizer and their combination on Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) growth attributes, yield and yield components. The study was conducted during the winter season 2018 –2019 at the farm of the College of Agriculture, University of Bahri, Alkadaro-Khartoum State, Sudan. The experiment was arranged in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications and six treatments, namely the Compost (5t./ha.), Phosphorous (P2O5) (88kg./ha.), P2O5 (176 kg./ha.), Compost (5t./ha.)+P2O5 (88kg./ha.), Compost (5t./ha.)+ P2O5 (176Kg./ha.) and the Control (C) respectively. All cultural practices were carried out timely according to the recommendations of the Agricultural Research Centre in Sudan. Then the data pertaining the following agronomic traits were recorded, the leaf number; leaf dry weight (g), leaf area index (LAI) (cm), root diameter (RD) (cm) and root fresh weight (RFW) (g). The results of statistical analysis revealed the application of compost in combination with phosphorus displayed significant increase at 5% level for the leaf number (22.75), leaf area index (5.23), leaf dry weight(36.78), root diameter(69.67) and root fresh weight (422.68), followed by the application of compost alone compared to the control and other treatments. The study concludes that the combination of compost and mineral fertilizer (P2O5) proved to increase all Sugar beet growth and yield parameters.

scholarly journals Petunia (Petunia ×hybrida) Cultivars Vary in Silicon Accumulation and Distribution

HortScience ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Jennifer K. Boldt ◽  
James E. Altland
Keyword(s):  
Petunia Hybrida ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Dry Mass ◽  
Weight Basis ◽  
Potassium Sulfate ◽  
Black Cherry ◽  
Abiotic And Biotic Stress ◽  
Leaf Dry Mass ◽  
Silicon Accumulation ◽  
Soilless Substrate

Silicon (Si) is a plant-beneficial element that can alleviate the effects of abiotic and biotic stress. Plants are typically classified as Si accumulators based on foliar Si concentrations (≥1% Si on a dry weight basis for accumulators). By this definition, most greenhouse-grown ornamentals are low Si accumulators. However, plants that accumulate low foliar Si concentrations may still accumulate high Si concentrations elsewhere in the plant. Additionally, screening cultivars for variability in Si uptake has not been investigated for low Si accumulator species. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess cultivar variability in Si accumulation and distribution in petunia (Petunia ×hybrida). Eight cultivars (Supertunia Black Cherry, Supertunia Limoncello, Supertunia Priscilla, Supertunia Raspberry Blast, Supertunia Royal Velvet, Supertunia Sangria Charm, Supertunia Vista Silverberry, and Supertunia White Improved) were grown in a commercial peat-based soilless substrate under typical greenhouse conditions. They were supplemented with either 2 mm potassium silicate (+Si) or potassium sulfate (-Si) at every irrigation. Silicon supplementation increased leaf dry mass (4.5%) but did not affect total dry mass. In plants not receiving Si supplementation, leaf Si ranged from 243 to 1295 mg·kg−1, stem Si ranged from 48 to 380 mg·kg−1, flower Si ranged from 97 to 437 mg·kg−1, and root Si ranged from 103 to 653 mg·kg−1. Silicon supplementation increased Si throughout the plant, but most predominantly in the roots. Leaf Si in the 2 mm Si treatment ranged from 1248 to 3541 mg·kg−1 (173% to 534% increase), stem Si ranged from 195 to 654 mg·kg−1 (72% to 376% increase), flower Si ranged from 253 to 1383 mg·kg−1 (74% to 1082% increase), and root Si ranged from 4018 to 10,457 mg·kg−1 (593% to 9161% increase). The large increase in root Si following supplementation shifted Si distribution within plants. In nonsupplemented plants, it ranged from 51.2% to 76.8% in leaves, 8.2% to 40.2% in stems, 2.8% to 23.8% in flowers, and 1.2% to 13.8% in roots. In Si-supplemented plants, it ranged from 63.5% to 67.7% in leaves, 10.5% to 22.6% in roots, 9.4% to 17.7% in stems, and 1.6% to 9.6% in flowers. This study indicates that petunia, a low foliar Si accumulator, can accumulate appreciable quantities of Si in roots when provided supplemental Si.

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