A UF/IFAS researcher shared the benefits of using silicon as a citrus nutrient during the Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo.
“Silicon is categorized as a plant beneficial substance by the Association of American Plant Food Control Officials and is approved for use in organic production,” shared a Citrus Industry article about UF/IFAS researcher Muhammad Shahid’s presentation at the Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo. Shahid’s presentation shared the benefits of using silicon as a citrus nutrient. See the highlights from the presentation and the article below.
Using Silicon as a Citrus Nutrient
According to Shahid, “the silicon used on citrus is not silicone, which is a polymer of silicon, carbon, hydrogen and oxygen with a rubber-like consistency. Silicone is commonly used in cookware, sealants, adhesives and lubricants.” He added that, “It can be applied to the soil via irrigation or as a foliar spray.”
Shahid shared the following benefits of using silicon as a citrus nutrient:
- “Silicon improves fruit weight, firmness, quality and shelf-life. The improved fruit quality attributes include Brix, sugar/acid ratio, diameter, juice percentage and total phenol and flavonoids.
- Silicon makes plants more resilient to freezing temperatures.
- Silicon reduces leafminer and Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) populations. ACP is the vector that spreads citrus greening from tree to tree.
- Silicon improves tree canopy.
- Silicon enhances stem diameter and plant height.
- Foliar application of silicon at 150 parts per million (ppm) and 200 ppm is beneficial for young and mature citrus trees.”
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