Obtaining of new organosilicon fertilisers and their testing via water stress modelling

Under adverse climatic conditions, plants are often exposed to abrupt changes that negatively impact on crop yields. In this connection, a promising direction for reducing the negative impact of abiotic factors on plants consists in the use of silicon preparations. The present study is aimed at the synthesis of organosilicon fertilisers for spring wheat plants and their testing by means of abiotic stress modelling. As the basis for the synthesis of new organosilicon fertilisers with protective properties, the multipurpose compost  (KMN) and fermentation product (PF) developed at the All-Russia Research Institute of Reclaimed Lands were selected. New organosilicon fertilisers were obtained by adding sodium metasilicate in KMN and PF at the aging stage in amounts of 3 and 5 % mass. SiO2 respectively. The dissolution of metasilicate was accompanied by active processes of alkaline hydrolysis,  ammonification and nitrification, resulting in the increased content of nitrates, humic acids and silicon compounds in the finished organosilicon fertilisers. The testing of the obtained fertilisers was carried out in a laboratory experiment by modelling water stresses (acute lack of moisture and excessive soil moisture) for spring wheat plants of the Irgina breed. In general, the most significant positive reaction of plants was observed for fertilisers containing 3 % mass. of SiO2. In the cases of treatment with new fertilisers, imitation of an acute lack of moisture led to the development of more powerful plants characterised by a slight change in the length of the seedlings against the background of a significant increase in their mass (on average, by 7–10 % relative to the initial PF and KMN not enriched in silicon). Modelling of excess soil moisture in these cases contributed to an increase in all biometric indicators by an average of 6–11 % relative to the initial PF and KMN. Consequently, the obtained organosilicon fertilisers were experimentally shown to reduce negative abiotic effects on plants.

organosilicon fertilisers, humic acids, nitrates, water stress, spring wheat seedlings, wet and dry mass