Influence of silicon on the growth of Guadua angustifolia Kunth seedlings

An experiment was carried out in a nursery with 220 seedlings of Guadua angustifolia Kunth, by adding silicon (Si) in a commercial fertilizer. Eleven treatments, including the no silicon-control were applied, with concentrations progressively increasing in 600 mg Si up to 6000 mg Si kg-1-dried. We found that, Si was beneficial to the seedling’s growth in terms of their stem height, stem base area, leaf area, root length, stem biomass, leaves, roots and total biomass. However, this benefit reached a peak at about 4200 mg Si kg-1, and after this concentration the plants did not show any benefit, but instead they stopped absorbing silicon as the inner silicon decreased when the Si in the soil was equal or higher of 2400 mg kg-1. The supplied fertilizer also contained phosphorus (P), but this mineral did not affect the previous variables, nor the absorption of Si.