A Detailed Guide to the Correct Use of Silicon Fertilizer on Rice
When using silicon fertilizer on rice, the rice's ability to absorb it must be taken into account. It can be applied as a base fertilizer mixed with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, or it can be added during the seedling stage together with other fertilizers. Because the properties of silicon fertilizer need to be matched to the rice and the soil, a foliar spray method can also be considered. Whether used as a base fertilizer or a top dressing, it is a good choice either way.
The effect of silicon fertilizer on rice
1. Applying silicon to rice can enhance the rice's resistance to pests and diseases
Rice that has been given silicon fertilizer also has increased resistance to pests and diseases, because silicon fertilizer can reduce the severity of pests and diseases to a certain extent. Applying silicon to rice can improve the plant's light-receiving posture, reduce leaf drooping, increase photosynthesis, enhance stem hardness, hold the leaves upright, keep the stems clean and upright, and develop a strong root system, thereby improving resistance to disease and pests.
2. Applying silicon fertilizer can improve saline-alkali rice fields and reduce pesticide pollution of the soil
Applying silicon fertilizer has a great effect on treating saline-alkali rice fields, because the silicon dioxide and calcium and magnesium ions contained in silicon fertilizer can be replenished into the needed soil within a short time, thereby improving the yield and quality of rice to a certain extent.
3. Applying silicon fertilizer to rice improves drought resistance and lodging resistance, with a significant yield-increasing effect
Rice is a crop with a relatively high silicon demand. In silicon-deficient soil, rice grows poorly, with thin, weak stems, and is easily infected by and develops diseases and pests such as rice blast, sheath blight and stem borers. Silicon is an important component within the rice plant. In optimized formula fertilization for rice, people often attach great importance to the application of macroelement fertilizers such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, while neglecting the inclusion of silicon fertilizer.
Today's agricultural pollution mainly comes from people's control of crop pests and diseases. Applying silicon fertilizer can cause rice to produce a harder type of silicified cell, making it difficult for pests to bite through, thereby reducing pest and disease damage and lowering the amount of pesticide used, and thus reducing pesticide pollution.