Effect of silicon micronutrient on plant’s cellular signaling cascades in stimulating plant growth by mitigating the environmental stressors

Micronutrient silicon (Si) is receiving increasing attention in agriculture for its benefits to plant growth and stress tolerance. Plants have developed a highly efficient Si-transport mechanism that entails the localization of Si-transporter proteins such as Low silicon1 (Lsi1), Low silicon2 (Lsi2), Low silicon3 (Lsi3), and Low silicon6 (Lsi6), as well as the expression profiling that establishes a highly coordinated network between these proteins, facilitating Si uptake and accumulation. It has also been discovered that silicon (Si) can promote plant growth and alleviate a variety of biological and abiotic stressors. In this review paper, the effects of Si on plant–pathogen interactions are analyzed from physical, biochemical, and molecular perspectives. The addition of silica improves the plant’s physiological and chemical characteristics, including its defence mechanisms, hormonal modulation, and gene expression patterns. Si activates defence-related enzymes, promotes the production of antimicrobial compounds, regulates signal pathways, and induces the expression of defence-related genes. This results in combined resistance that dominates the biochemical/molecular resistance during plant–pathogen interactions. Furthermore, Si alleviates the toxic effects of abiotic stresses such as salt stress, drought, and heavy metals. Silicon’s ability to manage various plant stressors, the mechanisms of silicon-enhanced resistance and silicon’s inhibitory effects on pathogens in vitro are also discussed in this review paper. By integrating the information presented, a clear relationship between silicon treatments and plant growth promotion can be established. This information is valuable for understanding the role of Si in agriculture and improving the utilization of Si fertilizers and sources for agricultural production.