Abstract
The effects of silicon application on lodging, yield and palatability of rice grown in a low-SiO2 field by direct sowing culture were studied. The silicon application increased lodging resistance through increased breaking strength and increased pushing tolerance. It also increased the yield by increasing the percentages of ripened grains. The palatability of the rice grown 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 concluded 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 extent of grain filling. These effects were clearly observed by the application of 64gm-2 or more silicon.
