What does this research mean for the field?

The combined application of brassinolide and silicon enhances maize resilience to naturally occurring water deficit and biotic stress by improving physiological performance, increasing yield, and reducing pest damage and disease severity. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.INCREMENTAL. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

This research investigates how brassinolide and silicon enhance maize tolerance to water deficit and pest stress after soybean cultivation.

April 8, 2026Open Access

Enhancing Maize Tolerance to Naturally Occurring Water Deficit and Biotic Stress Through Brassinolide and Silicon Application

Key Points

This research investigates how brassinolide and silicon enhance maize tolerance to water deficit and pest stress after soybean cultivation.
Conducted field experiments in Goiás, Brazil, over two growing seasons.
Utilized a randomized complete block design with a 5 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments.
Applied brassinolide at varying doses based on critical water thresholds during specific growth stages.
Administered silicon at key plant growth stages to assess effects on plant health and yield.
Brassinolide enhanced growth, protein synthesis, and sugar content, maintaining water content under stress.
Optimal brassinolide doses resulted in the highest maize yields during both off-seasons.
Silicon application significantly reduced pest damage and disease severity, improving overall plant health.
A limited interaction between brassinolide and silicon was noted for specific measures of plant health, highlighting the complexity of responses.

Abstract

Stressful effects on agriculture are of paramount importance in the 21st century. Water deficiency is considered a major constraint in crop succession, particularly for maize. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the potential roles of brassinolide (BL) and silicon (Si) in mitigating biotic (incidence of pests and diseases) and abiotic stresses (naturally occurring water deficit) in maize grown after soybean harvest. The field experiments were conducted over two growing seasons on a Rhodic Haplustox in the Cerrado, Goiás, Brazil. A randomized complete block design was employed in a 5 × 2 factorial arrangement, with five BL doses (0.000, 0.050, 0.100, 0.150, and 0.200 mg L−1) and two Si treatments (absence and presence), each with four replicates. BL was applied immediately when the soil moisture in the 0–0.20 m layer reached 16.25%, corresponding to the crop’s critical water threshold. This specific phenological point corresponded to the R2 stage in the first off-season and the V10 stage in the second off-season. Si applications were performed at the V3 and V8 stages. BL application enhanced growth, as well as physiological and metabolic performance by increasing protein synthesis and sugar content, thereby maintaining relative water content, sustaining antioxidant enzyme activity, and reducing lipid peroxidation under water-deficit conditions. The BL doses that achieved the highest yields were 0.149 mg L−1 (R2 stage) in the first off-season and 0.134 mg L−1 (V10 stage) in the second off-season. Si application effectively reduced pest damage and disease severity while improving plant water status. However, in the second off-season, a significant BL × Si interaction was limited to carotenoids, pheophytinization index, and disease severity. These results indicate that the combined use of BL and Si provides a promising strategy to enhance maize resilience by integrating BL-mediated yield promotion with Si-driven physical and biotic protection under adverse environmental conditions.

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Enhancing Maize Tolerance to Naturally Occurring Water Deficit and Biotic Stress Through Brassinolide and Silicon Application

Key Points

Abstract

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