Available Silicon Contents of Paddy Soils and the Effect of Silicon Fertilization on Rice in Sichuan Province

Based on the results of field trials and soil and plant measurements, the available silicon contents ofpaddy soils, their relations with the SiO_2 content of rice plant, the relationships between rice yield on theone hand and the SiO_2 content and SiO_2/N ratio of rice plant on the other, the effects of silicon on riceyield and resistance to diseases and pests and the effective conditions and causes for increasing rice yield inSichuan Basin are expounded in the present paper. The study results show that about one half of the paddysoils developed from yellow soil, purple soil, alluvial soil, etc. in Sichuan Province were insufficient in siliconsupply. Critical values for silicon fertilization were 98 mg kg￣(-1) available Si in the paddy soils and < 112.8gkg￣(-1) SiO_2 in the rice plants. A SiO_2 content of rice plant over 121.6g kg￣(-1) and a SiO_2/N ratio maintainedat about 12 were required for gaining a rice yield of 7500 kg ha￣(-1). The yield increase by silicon fertilizationwas due to the improvement of silicon nutrition in rice plants and the balance of SiO_2/N ratio, and the reasonfor enhanced resistance to diseases and pests was concerned with the inhibition of luxury N absorption andthe raising of plant SiO_2/N ratio. Silicon fertilization tended to balance the uptake of N, P and K by riceplant .

Effect of calcium silicate on nutrient use of lowland rice and greenhouse gas emission from a paddy soil under alternating wetting and drying

In intensively irrigated rice cultivation,plant-available silicon(Si)is a crucial nutrient for improving rice productivity.As a source of Si,calcium silicate(CaSiO3)was amended to evaluate the effect of silicate fertilizer on rice production,nitrogen(N)use efficiency,and greenhouse gas(GHG)emission under alternating wetting and drying in a pot experiment using a tropical soil from a paddy field of the International Rice Research Institute(IRRI)in the Philippines.Four levels of CaSiO3 amendment,0,112.7,224.5,and 445.8 kg ha^-1,with the recommended N rate were tested.The results showed that although CaSiO3amendment of 112.7 kg ha^-1resulted in higher rice straw,improved N use efficiency,and reduced N2O emission,there was no difference in grain yield among the four levels of CaSiO3 amendment owing to relatively lower harvest index.Moreover,CaSiO3 amendment showed a reverse trend between CH4 and N2O emissions as it reduced N2O emission while led to significantly increased CH4 emission and global warming potential.Thus,CaSiO3 amendment was a possible alternative to improve N use efficiency and increase rice straw biomass,but it needs to be reviewed in line with grain yield production and GHG emission.It is also imperative to test an optimal method of silicate fertilizer amendment in future research in order to compromise a negative impact in tropical soils.