Emanuel Epstein of the University of California at Davis has been one
the recent reviewers of silicon in plant nutrition. He has promoted
the idea that silicon should be considered an essential element even
though it may not fit the traditional definition of an essential
element.

Epstein, E. 1999. Silicon. Annual Review of Plant Physiology and Plant
Molecular Biology 50:641-664.

Silicon nutrition of Equisteum has probably been studied more than
that of other ferns allies because silicon has definitely been shown
to be essential for Equisetum.

Hoffman, F. M., and Hillson, C. J. 1979. Effects of silicon on the
life cycle of Equisetum hyemale L. Botanical Gazette 140(2):127-132.

The Role of Silicon in Plant Susceptibility to Disease
http://www.fiu.edu/%7Echusb001/Giant...nt_Health.html

Silicon: The Estranged Medium Element
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/BODY_EP075.html

If you can get access to the online version of Science Citation Index,
you can probably track find most of the available literature.

David R. Hershey


(Martin Hodson) wrote in message . com...
I am doing some research on silicon concentrations in plants, and
would be grateful if anyone out there knew of useful references, data
etc. So far I have only found data from Japan- surely there must be
more!
Best Wishes,
Martin

Dr Martin J. Hodson,
Principal Lecturer in Environmental Biology,
School of Biological and Molecular Sciences,
Oxford Brookes University,
Gipsy Lane, Headington,
Oxford, OX3 0BP, UK

Tel.: ++44 (0)1865 483954
Fax: ++44 (0)1865 483242
Email:
Web: http://www.hodsons.org/MartinHodson/