There is a safe way—both for rural workers and consumers—to make plants grow more and be more productive: use silicates. Silicates are a mineral class, considered to be a micronutrient by the Ministry of Agriculture. A technology that is cleaner, sustainable and natural.

According to an article by Oscar Fontão de Lima Filho, a researcher at Embrapa Agropecuária Oeste, in general, silicon works in the plant’s metabolism as a kind of stress reliever. It increases the plant’s resistance to pests and diseases. Consequently, they need less pesticide and are of a better quality.

Researchers are conducting—I hate using the gerund—more studies on this technique before its actual implementation. The complete text—read here—is available on the not-for profit website, Infobibos. It has other articles on themes related to ranching, natural resources and quality management. Here is a tip in Portuguese. Could it be an alternative to transgenic species?

Read this post at the Xis-Xis blog: New technology for sustainable agriculture