General News
11 August, 2022
Silocon and plants
The possible benefits of using silicon to improve plant resilience during stresses such as drought, heat and frost will be discussed at Birchip Cropping Group's Main Field Day next month. While many pot (glass house) studies have proven how silicon...
The possible benefits of using silicon to improve plant resilience during stresses such as drought, heat and frost will be discussed at Birchip Cropping Group's Main Field Day next month.
While many pot (glass house) studies have proven how silicon can aid plant resilience, it has previously not been tested on a broadacre scale. BCG Research Agronomist Tariq Gerardi will explain how BCG is investigating this idea and the possible benefits of silicon in our cropping system.
"The trial is designed to investigate if commercially available silicon products can be used to increase yields in standard Mallee crops during dry times. We are also using this trial to see if silicon could be used as a tool to employ farming rotations which are more marginal [such as winter wheats, graze and grain systems and some pulses like chickpeas and faba beans] in the Mallee due to variable rainfall.
“I’m certainly looking forward to seeing and discussing the trial with farmers from across the region at BCG’s Main Field Day on Wednesday the 14 th of September. Research such as this is just another way BCG helps growersbe more resilient in times of drought and that has a flow on effect into communities,” Tariq said.