Press release 30 April 2015

Silicon: An important element in rice production

Rice terraces in Philippines. Foto: André Künzelmann/ UFZ

Researchers from the interdisciplinary LEGATO project on sustainable rice production look in more detail at the cycle of plant-available Si in contrasting regions of Vietnam and the Philippines to provide insights on the importance of this element on rice production.
Photo: André Künzelmann/ UFZ

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Silicon (Si) is the second most abundant element of the earth`s crust after oxygen. It has long been neglected by ecologists, as it is not considered an essential nutrient for plants. However, research of recent years showed that it is beneficial for the growth of many plants, including important crops such as rice, wheat and barley.

For instance, Si enhanced the resistance against pests, pathogens and abiotic stresses such as salts, drought and storms. Silicon might, thus, play a crucial role in the development of `sustainable` rice production systems with lower or zero input of harmful pesticides.

Researchers from the interdisciplinary LEGATO project on sustainable rice production look in more detail at the cycle of plant-available Si in contrasting regions of Vietnam and the Philippines to provide insights on the importance of this element on rice production.

A recent article published in the journal Plant and Soil reports on Si cycling and budgets on the farm level in the Laguna province of the Philippines. The data show that the irrigation water can provide a considerable amount of the Si that is taken up by plants. In rain water, the concentrations of Si were below the detection limit of the analytical method; the researchers, thus, assume that rain is no important Si source for plants. Another major source of plant-available Si is the dissolution of solid soil particles.

In a subsequent study, the LEGATO researchers currently focus on the soil processes that determine the pool of plant-available Si during the growing period. Recent literature suggests that the recycling and decomposition of rice straw plays a crucial role for Si availability. The farmers should therefore recycle the straw completely.

This is not done by all of the farmers that were interviewed within the LEGATO project, i.e., some of them remove part of the straw and use it e.g., as fertilizer on vegetable fields. Over the long-term, this could have negative effects on the Si supply to rice plants. Particularly in regions, where soils are strongly weathered, and the Si availability is therefore very low (e.g., the LEGATO study sites in Vietnam), farmers should consider Si availability as a factor in the management of the rice field.

Publication

Klotzbücher, T., Leuther, F., Marxen, A., Vetterlein, D., Horgan, F., Jahn, R. 2015. Forms and fluxes of potential plant-available silicon in irrigated lowland rice production (Laguna, the Philippines). Plant and Soil, doi:10.1007/s11104-015-2480-y

KKlotzbücher, T., Marxen, A., Vetterlein, D., Schneiker, J., Türke, M., Van Sinh, N., Manh, N.H., Van Chien, H., Marquez, L., Villareal, S., Bustamante, J.V., Jahn, R. 2015. Plant-available silicon in Southeast Asian paddy soils - baseline data for the LEGATO project. Basic and Applied Ecology. doi:10.1016/j.baae.2014.08.002

Further information

Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg
Thimo Klotzbücher
thimo.klotzbuecher@googlemail.com

Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ)
Prof. Dr. Doris Vetterlein
doris.vetterlein@ufz.de

or

Tilo Arnhold, Susanne Hufe (UFZ press office)
Telephone +49 341 235 1635, -1630

In the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), scientists conduct research into the causes and consequences of far-reaching environmental changes. Their areas of study cover water resources, biodiversity, the consequences of climate change and possible adaptation strategies, environmental technologies and biotechnologies, bio-energy, the effects of chemicals in the environment and the way they influence health, modelling and social-scientific issues. Its guiding principle: Our research contributes to the sustainable use of natural resources and helps to provide long-term protection for these vital assets in the face of global change. The UFZ employs more than 1,100 staff at its sites in Leipzig, Halle and Magdeburg. It is funded by the federal government, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt.

The Helmholtz Association contributes to solving major and urgent issues in society, science and industry through scientific excellence in six research areas: Energy, earth and environment, health, key technologies, structure of matter as well as aviation, aerospace and transportation. The Helmholtz Association is the largest scientific organisation in Germany, with 35,000 employees in 18 research centres and an annual budget of around €3.8 billion. Its work is carried out in the tradition of the great natural scientist Hermann von Helmholtz (1821-1894).