The effect of silicon compounds on tillering and donor-acceptor relations in spring barley plants growing under different moisture conditions

Slastya I. V.

The effect of seed treatment with silicon compounds – tetraethoxysilane (TES) and sodium silicate on tillering and donor-acceptor relations in barley plants of two types of varieties was studied: recommended for cultivation in the central part of Russia (Zazersky 85 and Bios 1) and the Lower Volga region (Kamyshinsky 23, Donetsky 8 and Prairie). It has been established that seed treatment with silicon compounds had a positive effect on donor-acceptor relations in barley plants of both variety types, while the effect on total and productive bushiness of barley depended more on the characteristics of the variety and conditions of moisture availability than on seed treatment.

Keywords:silicon, seed treatment, spring barley, water stress, drought, tillering, productive bushiness, donor-acceptor relations.