The effect of silicic acid on rice in a P-deficient soil

✍ Scribed by Jianfeng MA; Eiichi Takahashi

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1990
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 343 KB
• Volume: 126
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0032-079X
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00041377

✦ Synopsis

A pot experiment was conducted to analyze the effect of silicon on the growth of rice grown in a P-deficient soil and on P availability in the soil. Silicic acid was used, rather than a silicate salt, to avoid the complication of changes in soil pH.

Shoot dry weight on silicic acid treated soil (0.47 mg Si g-~ soil) increased significantly under both nonflooded and flooded conditions. Shoot Si concentration also increased although P concentration did not. Mn concentration decreased with silicic acid, resulting in a higher P/Mn ratio in shoots.

An adsorption and desorption experiment showed that silicic acid did not displace P nor decrease the ability of the soil to adsorb P. In contrast, Si desorption increased with increasing P concentration in the solution, and Si adsorption was reduced when P was applied first.

These results suggest that silicic acid does not increase P availability in soil. Increased dry weight may be attributed to a higher P/Mn ratio in the shoot, which may improve P utilization in the plant.