This dataset presents experimental data investigating the role of silicon (Si; 0.5 and 1.0 mM, applied as sodium metasilicate nonahydrate) supplied through seed priming, foliar application, and their combined application in enhancing drought tolerance in buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum cv. Smuga). Seed priming and foliar treatments were performed using sodium metasilicate nonahydrate (Na2SiO3·9H2O) as the Si source at concentrations of 0.5 mM (pH 11.02) and 1.0 mM (pH 11.30). For seed priming, 15 g of achenes were soaked in 200 mL of the respective Si solutions for 6 h and subsequently air-dried. Control and foliar-only treatments underwent the same procedure using dH2O to maintain experimental consistency. Four seeds were sown per plastic pot (8 cm × 7 cm; height × diameter) containing 100 g of fresh deacidified peat substrate (pH 6.5). Germination began at 3 days after sowing (DAS), and at 7 DAS, one uniform and healthy seedling was maintained per pot. Plants were irrigated to maintain 80% field water capacity (FWC) until the initiation of drought treatment at 21 DAS. The irrigation regimes were continued for four weeks until 49 DAS. Foliar application of 0.5 or 1.0 mM Si was performed twice (21 and 28 DAS) at a spray volume equivalent to 400 L ha⁻1, assuming a planting density of 150 plants m⁻2. Fourteen treatment combinations were established, including well-watered (80% FWC) and drought-stressed (30% FWC) conditions with different Si application methods. The experiment was conducted using a completely randomized design. Morphological, physiological, and photosynthetic traits were evaluated at 49 DAS using five biological replicates per treatment (n = 5). This research was supported by the National Science Centre of Poland (NCN) under Project Nos. 2021/43/I/NZ9/01356 and 2025/57/N/NZ8/02950.The dataset includes the following files:
Chorophyll fluorescence.xlsx- provides chlorophyll a fluorescence (OJIP) transients of dark-adapted plants, recorded using a FluorPen FP 110/D instrument.
OJIP parameters.xlsx- includes various chlorophyll fluorescence parameters derived from OJIP transients.
Morphology.xlsx- contains data on growth attributes, including shoot length, leaf numbers/plant, stem diameter, chlorophyll content and leaf thickness.
Physiology.xlsx- contains data on physiological attributes, including fresh and dry weight, relative water content, water saturation deficit, and electrolyte leakage.
Photosynq data.xlsx- contains photosynthetic parameters based on fluorescence and electrochromic shifts, measured using a MultispeQ V2.0 device connected to the PhotosynQ platform.
Gas exchange data.xlsx- contains gas exchange attributes, including transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, photosynthetic rate, water use efficiency, intercellular CO2 concentration, stomatal limitation.
PAR.xlsx and TMS.xlsx- provide photosynthetic active radiation (PER) and temperature data from the growing season during the experiment.
This dataset is valuable for researchers studying abiotic stress tolerance mechanisms in plants. For further details on the experiment, refer to ReadMe file.
