Abstract:
Silicon (Si) is the second most abundant element available in the earth's crust, and is considered as
a benefcial element for crop growth especially rice. A study was conducted in Mkindo irrigation
scheme, Mvomero District, Morogoro, Tanzania to assess the Silicon status in rice grown under the
System of Rice Intensifcation and continuous flooding at various growth stages. The experiment
was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with two treatments which were two
water application regimes: T1 was alternate wetting and drying using SRI technology and T2 was
continuous flooding. The treatments were replicated three times and the rice variety used was
SARO 5 (TXD 306). The experiment was conducted in two seasons from October 2019 to January
2020 and from March 2020 to June 2020. Si status in rice seeds and grains as well as rice plant
leaves at various growth stages were evaluated according to elemental analysis based on Energy
Dispersive X- Ray Fluorescence and results were analyzed using GENSTAT software. Si content
in rice seeds observed prior to the experiment was 6.76%. Si content in rice grains was gradually
increasing during reproductive stage and later drops during harvest. Si content in rice plant
leaves increased signifcantly from vegetative to ripening stage whereby the highest Si content
was recorded in T
1 (12.37%) while T2 recorded the lowest value (10.15%). It was concluded that,
the alternate wetting and drying feld conditions enhances adequate uptake of Si compared to
continuous flooding practices.
