Silicon reduces sodium uptake in rice (Oryza sativa L.) in saline conditions and this is accounted for by a reduction in the transpirational bypass flow

Rice is relatively sensitive to salinity and is classified as a silicon accumulator. There have been reports that silicon can reduce sodium uptake in crop grasses in saline conditions, but the mechanism by which silicon might alleviate salinity damage is unclear. We report on the effects of silicon on growth, gas exchange and sodium uptake in rice genotypes differing in salt tolerance. In non‐saline media there were no effects of supplementary silicate upon shoot fresh or dry weight or upon root dry weight, indicating that the standard culture solution was not formally deficient with respect to silicon. Plants grown with supplementary silicate had slightly, but significantly, shorter leaves than plants grown in a standard culture solution. Salinity reduced growth and photosynthetic gas exchange. Silicate supplementation partly overcame the reduction in growth and net photosynthesis caused by salt. This amelioration was correlated with a reduction in sodium uptake. Silicate supplementation increased the stomatal conductance of salt‐treated plants, showing that silicate was not acting to reduce sodium uptake via a reduction in the transpiration rate. Silicate reduced both sodium transport and the transport of the apoplastic tracer trisodium‐8‐hydroxy‐1,3,6‐pyrenetrisulphonic acid (PTS). This implies that the mode of action of silicate was by partial blockage of the transpirational bypass flow, the pathway by which a large proportion of the uptake of sodium in rice occurs. Mechanisms by which silicate might reduce the transpirational bypass flow directly are discussed.