HYDROPONIC CULTURE OF WILD-RICE (ZIZANIA-PALUSTRIS L) AND ITS APPLICATION TO STUDIES OF SILICON NUTRITION AND FUNGAL BROWN SPOT DISEASE

The mineral nutrient requirements of wild rice (Z. palustris var. inte rior L.) grown on flooded soils in Minnesota are poorly understood. A hydroponics culture system was developed to study the effects of silic on on the growth and fungal brown spot disease (FBS) resistance of wil d rice. Wild rice was grown to maturity using a modified Hoagland's so lution. Plants attained a height of 1.4 m and had healthy roots, leave s and inflorescences containing viable seeds. Plant height and biomass were approximately 80 and 46%, respectively, of plants grown in culti vated paddies. A method was developed to reliably infect leaves and st ems of hydroponically grown wild rice with Bipolaris oryzae, the patho gen causing FBS. Silicon amendments did not significantly increase gro wth and had no apparent effect on resistance to FBS.