Effect of Silicon on the Potassium and Iron Uptake by Viola tricolor L

Although silicon is the second most abundant element in the earth's crust, its absorption is limited. Its use as a beneficial element can play a significant role in plant growth. This study was conducted to research the potential effects of Si application (K2SiO3 with Four levels: 0 (Control), 50, 100, and 200 mg kg-1 soil) on the growth properties, chlorophyll content (Chll), number of flowers (NoF), and uptake of silicon (Si), potassium (K) and iron (Fe) by root and shoot of Viola tricolor L. Although the Si application did not cause a significant difference for Chll content. But a significant increase of the NoF (P ≤ 0.01) was observed for all used Si levels and increased from 14 to 27 under Control to 200 mg kg-1 treatment, respectively. Si application significantly increased root and shoot uptake of K and Fe (P ≤ 0.01). Although the K uptake by roots declined (50 mg kg-1) or no significant difference (100 mg kg-1 and 200 mg kg-1), but shoot uptake of K witnessed an increasing trend from 50 mg kg-1 to 200 mg kg-1 and hit a peak at 200 mg kg-1 with 22% increase compared with control. The highest Fe uptake by root and shoot was observed under 200 mg kg-1 and 100 mg kg-1 respectively where the Fe uptake recorded a rise with 43% and 62% compared with control respectively. Based on our results, the Si application had positive effects on growth parameters and elements uptake in Viola tricolor L.