Publication: Silicon Application Enhances Drought Tolerance in Ficus annulata by Improving the Physiological Responses and Chlorophyll Fluorescence Parameters
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Issued Date
2026-01-01
Resource Type
ISSN
21890102
eISSN
21890110
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-105027474114
Journal Title
Horticulture Journal
Volume
95
Issue
1
Start Page
40
End Page
51
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Horticulture Journal Vol.95 No.1 (2026) , 40-51
Suggested Citation
Nimnuan S., Piriyaphattarakit A., Hanpattanakit P., Jampasri K., Saeng-Ngam S. Silicon Application Enhances Drought Tolerance in Ficus annulata by Improving the Physiological Responses and Chlorophyll Fluorescence Parameters. Horticulture Journal Vol.95 No.1 (2026) , 40-51. 51. doi:10.2503/hortj.SZD-052 Retrieved from: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14740/55381
Corresponding Author(s)
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
Drought and global warming affect the photosynthesis and various physiological processes of plants in Asian forest ecosystems. Improving physiological responses is the best way to overcome challenges to survival under drought and higher temperatures. This study was conducted to appraise the role of silicon (Si) in enhancing the drought tolerance and chlorophyll fluorescence response in banyan trees (Ficus annulata) in a pot experiment for 18 days. Three treatments were tested: control (CF), drought (DT), and drought stress sprayed with Si (DS). At the end of the trial, Si foliar spray at a concentration of 15 mM significantly increased (P < 0.05) the leaf relative water content (RWC) by 90%, total chlorophyll by 3.3 mg·g<sup>−1</sup> FW, photosynthetic rate by 6.7 μmol CO<inf>2</inf>·m<sup>−2</sup>·s<sup>−1</sup>, stomatal conductance by 0.26 mol H<inf>2</inf>O·m<sup>−2</sup>·s<sup>−1</sup>, and transpiration rate by 2.7 μmol H<inf>2</inf>O·m<sup>−2</sup>·s<sup>−1</sup>. Moreover, ABS/RC, DIo/RC, TRo/RC, and ETo/RC were significantly lower than those under drought stress, while Fv/Fm and Pi were substantially higher than those under drought stress (P < 0.05). The levels of hydrogen peroxide (H<inf>2</inf>O<inf>2</inf>) production, electrolyte leakage (EL), and malondialdehyde (MDA) were considerably reduced during the drought stress experiment with Si spraying (P < 0.05). Foliar Si spraying did not enhance TSS content, but positively affected proline content (P > 0.05). The findings suggest that Si supplementation effectively improved the physiological responses, photosynthetic pigment content, and photochemical efficiency of F. annulata under drought conditions.