Silicon revised format.docx

Silicon (Si), the second most prevalent element in the earth, is not soluble enough for plants to absorb, despite being one of numerous helpful elements. Supplementing with silicon (Si) is seen to be one of the most promising ways to mitigate abiotic stressors like salt and drought. Legume crops are still underutilised, especially mungbean, an important crop in India, despite several research on the effects of salt and silicon stress on various crops. In order to study the impact of exogenous application of Si concentrations on the growth and physiochemical, photosynthesis, and antioxidative pathways of four mung bean cultivars—K1, CO6, CO7, and CO8 exposed to two levels of salinity] [10mMNacl (S3), 20mM NaCl (S5)]—a Pot experiment and field data were collected over the course of two growth seasons (2022–2023). Growth factors like biomass, plant length, height, and photosynthetic measurements were all lowered by salinity stress; however, these effects were lessened by silicon supplementation at a concentration of 5 mM sodium silicate. Under salt stress, the presence of silicon boosted the production of photosynthetic proteins such Photosystem I, Photosystem II, and light harvesting complexes. In the mung bean, salinity stress also resulted in oxidative damage in the form of superoxide radical (O2−) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), which raised MDA (lipid peroxidation) and electrolyte leakage. On the other hand, 5 mM sodium silicate has the ability to scavenge free radicals, which lowers electrolyte loss and lipid peroxidation (MDA). Significant silica deposition in the leaf epidermis was associated with this, and in the end, this served as a mechanical barrier to lessen the harmful effects of salt stress. Our simulated investigations, which employed Si as a supplement, indicated that, of all the types used in this study, K1 and CO7 shown resilience to salt stress, but CO6 and CO8 demonstrated sensitivity. Experiments conducted at the field level on yield and growth provided evidence for the study's findings that Si has a negative impact on salt stress. Si reduced the detrimental effects of salt stress overall and supplied a basis for fertigation fertilizer.