Response of yield and nutrients uptake of pea plants to silicate under sandy soil conditions

Desertic soils in Egypt are mostly sandy soils and have issues, due to their sandy nature, related to physical properties and the low potential for productivity. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of silicon as potassium silicate on yield and nutrient uptake of pea (Pisum sativum L.) plant in sandy soil during the growth seasons of 2014-2015. Spraying of different rates of silicon significantly increased yield, biomass, 100 seed weight and nutrients accumulation as compared to unsprayed plants. The greatest values of photosynthetic pigments, plant height, and nutrients accumulation of plants were observed with 500 mg L-1 silicon. Also, the highest percentage increase in fresh pod yields and protein of 82.5% and 45%, respectively, was recorded from 500 mg L-1 silicon.