The Influence of Foliar Nutrition of Apple Trees with Silicon on Growth and Yield as Well as Mineral Content in Leaves and Fruits

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The manuscript entitled “The influence of foliar nutrition of apple trees with silicon on growth and yield as well as mineral content in leaves and fruitS" is based on original research experiment and the presented results therein broaden the knowledge of plant sciences. To confirm the usefulness of foliar silicon application in apple trees was the main aim of this study. The scope of work includes the performance of experiment in field conditions, Growth of apple trees, yielding and quality of fruits measurements were obtained. Also chemical analyzes of soil samples, leaves and fruits samples were obtained.

There is no doubt that this work is in the scope of Agronomy journal. The publication presents some interesting studies. The paper is generally well organized. The work delivers some interesting results and can be important source of valuable information.

The introduction is properly composed. The materials and methods section contains the basic requested elements and provide information about the experimental preparations, analyses and growth conditions. The data analysis is generally properly provided. The results show valuable information. The obtained data are discussed sufficiently.

However, the authors made many shortcomings that must be corrected before the publication of the work:

1) Abstract: the first 2-3 sentences of this part should describe scientific problem, not the aim of the study.

2) Key words: should not be repeated with the words used in the title.

3) Authors did not make a research hypothesis. In fact, it is not known what mechanism of the factors the authors want to explain. To be the honest – the aim of work also should be corrected. How a product that is already on the market works is not a scientific goal. Maybe the authors would try to correlate the measured parameters? Then it would be easier to analyze the mechanism of action of silicon.

Please see this work:

G. Mastalerczuk, B. Borawska-Jarmułowicz, P. Dąbrowski, E. Szara, A. Perzanowska, B. Wróbel: Can the application the silicon improve the productivity and nutritional value of grass–clover sward in conditions of rainfall shortage in organic management? Agronomy 10.3390/agronomy10071007

 

4) Why apple tress was the object of the study? Is it important from environment or from economy point? Authors should describe it in Introduction section.

5) MM section: where the experiment was conducted? What were the physical properties of the soils (or at least what type of soil it was). Full weather data on the background of many years should also be provided.

6) Statistical analysis: Statistica is not product of Statsoft and it is not from Poland.

 

 

I would like to underline that my remarks are auxiliary and not undertake the quality and importance of the paper.

Author Response

Many thanks to the reviewer for important remarks. Relevant content has been added and the correlations between the studied features will be computed as compilatin of the three years of study after observation ending at the end of this year.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

This work has investigated the effects of foliar applied silicon on apple tree growth, fruit yield and quality as well as the nutrients both in leaves and fruits. The authors have obtained large and comprehensive data, however, these data should show a standard variation or standard error among the replicates then with a significance test at a definite P value. In the nutrient assays of macro-/micro elements, silicon itself in each treatment should be measured to prove the exogenously applied silicon taken-up in leaves and trees/ transported to fruits, validating these physiological and morphological effects really came from the raised silicon levels via foliar silicon spray.

Author Response

Many thanks to the reviewer for two important remarks. I would like to note that the experiment is continued and the results obtained from the next years of research will be compared more thoroughly statistically, and the analysis of the silicon content in the fruit will be made, which is very expensive and will be carried out at the end of the research, because the accumulation of the ingredient is possible after three years of using silicon

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

This version is ok with me now though the authors couldn't provide the data with standard variations or errors statistically.