Silicon Research

USGA Article - Silicon Controls Gray Leaf Spot in Bermudagrass This PDF communicates the results of research projects funded under USGA’s Turfgrass and Environmental Research Program to all who can benefit from such knowledge. Since 1983, the USGA has funded more than 225 projects at a cost of $21 million. The private, nonprofit research program provides funding opportunities to university faculty interested in working on environmental and turf management problems affecting golf courses. The outstanding playing conditions of today’s golf courses are a direct result of using science to benefit golf. Download now ...

Excell Minerals and Silicate Performance This pdf will provide information on Excell Minerals and Silica Performance. Download now ...

University of Florida Study The role of silicon in suppressing gray leaf spot development in St. Augustinegrass Download now ...

Silicon Nutrition in Plants The element silicon (Si) comprises one of the most abundant minerals on earth. Sand, quartz, and silica are all synonyms for the same basic mineral. Until the last decade, very little attention was paid to silicon in regard to plant nutrition, except for certain algae (diatoms) and the common scouring rushes (horsetails), which contain high levels of silicon. Download now ...

Let’s Put the Si Back Into Soil Part I Silicon is not often listed among the essential nutrients for plant growth, but recent studies show that increasing silicon exposure can result in stronger plants and increased disease resistance. Download now ...

Let’s Put the Si Back Into Soil Part II Silicon is not often listed among the essential nutrients for plant growth, but recent studies show that increasing silicon exposure can result in stronger plants and increased disease resistance. Download now ...
Increasing Turf Tolerance in Heat As we enter the Australian summer Turf Managers are increasingly being asked to maintain quality turf surfaces with reduced amount sand quality of water. Water conservation strategies are frequently practiced and these strategies can include: incorporating water-use-efficient material into the landscape, implementing water conserving management practices, and maximizing irrigation efficiency by reducing leaching, pooling or ponding of irrigation water and surface water runoff. Download now ...
RCE Website The Soil Profile The Soil Profile is a newsletter providing information on issues relating to soils and plant nutrition in New Jersey. This newsletter has been published annually by Joseph Heckman, Rutgers Cooperative Extension Specialist in Soil Fertility since 1990. The current issue of this newsletter summarizes research findings and disease control recommendations based on soil fertility and plant pathology research conducted on turfgrass at Rutgers University over the past 15 years. Read More...
CTS Website The Center for Turfgrass Science generates and disseminates knowledge, training, and education in the turfgrass sciences by fostering nationally recognized multidisciplinary research; undergraduate, graduate, and continuing professional education; and service programs that support the turfgrass industry. Read More...
Scientists Start to Recognize Silicon's Beneficial Effects In the first articles of this series on beneficial elements (Hull, 2004), we discussed the general distinctions between essential and beneficial nutrients. The beneficial element under consideration here, silicon (Si), could justify being applied to turf. In fact, there are more published reports on the beneficial effects of applying Si to turf than there are for most essential micronutrient elements. In his review article on Si, Emanuel Epstein concluded that Si is unquestionably an important requirement for the normal growth of many plants, and it should be viewed as "quasi-essential" (Epstein, 1999). Read More...
Increased Grass Production, University of Florida Studies University of Florida greenhouse testing completed on turfgrass to: Identify the relationships between the silicon in Excell Minerals Phosphorus uptake Plant growth response Turfgrass was grown in native soils at several phosphorus (P) fertilization rates (0, 50 , and 100 kg/ha) in a greenhouse environment. Read More...
No pH concerns with Excellerator The effect of calcium silicate on soil PH. Download now ...