Musings

The Power of Silicon

The Power of Silicon     To begin I will acknowledge one thing that many others have mentioned in regards to Silicon in the agriculture community.  That is concept that silica, although it’s the second most abundant element on the surface of the earth (first is oxygen of course), is Read more…

Musings

Saponins

Saponins What are saponins? Saponins are a secondary plant metabolite class known as amphipathic glycosides, with diverse biological application found in various plant species.  Amphipathic means that these compounds are both hydrophilic and hydrophobic.  Specifically, a saponin compound is moiety made of a hydrophilic glycoside and hydrophobic sapogenins (or aglycone).  Read more…