Data for a plant silicon experiment studying rapid induction of silicon defences in cereal crops.

The data enclosed were used for the below research<br>Plant silicon has been touted as an important trait for sustainable agricultural production, due to its broad spectrum benefits and ubiquity in the environment. Recent research has shown that silicon content may increase rapidly with herbivory cues, suggestive of a plant defence response. Induced silicon defences may have potential applications to sustainable pest management in agriculture, yet the generality of this plant response, including in domesticated crops, remains unknown. We tested short-term (18hr) silicon accumulation in response to herbivory cues in four cereal crops by applying simulated (methyl-jasmonate) and cricket herbivory and comparing induced leaf silicon concentration to plants that did not experience an herbivory treatment. We found short-term silicon accumulation in three of the species, but only in response to methyl-jasmonate. In wheat, we observed the lowest silicon concentrations in cricket-damaged plants, explainable based on our current knowledge of plant silicon dynamics. Future silicon-herbivore studies should aim to move from the greenhouse to the field, testing how reliable patterns of herbivore-induced silicon accumulation are in field production.<br><br>