Effects of silicate application on lodging, yield and palatability of ricegrown by direct sowing culture

The effects of silicon application on lodging, yield and palatability of ri ce grown in a low-SiO2 field by direct sowing culture were studied. The sil icon application increased lodging resistance through increased breaking st rength and increased pushing tolerance. It also increased the yield by incr easing the percentages of ripened grains. The palatability of the rice grow n with silicon applications tended to be superior to the rice grown without silicon application. The silicon applications lowered the protein contents in milled rice and increased the maximum viscosity. Therefore, it was conc luded that the superiority of palatability under the direct sowing culture with silicon application was caused by the reduction of protein content and an increase in the maximum viscosity, which was closely related to the ext ent of grain filling. These effects were clearly observed by the applicatio n of 64gm(-2) or more silicon.