Biogeochemical cycling of Si in a California rice cropping system

Silicon is the second most abundant element in the earth's crust, but the number of studies on the biogeochemical cycling of Si does not reflect its environmental ubiquity. While not an "essential" plant nutrient, Si is important for many plants, particularly monocots, for structural integrity and protection against disease and environmental stress. For rice, Si fertilization with N and P increases yield significantly more than N and P alone. While total Si in soil is high, much of this Si is tied up in the crystal lattice of primary and secondary minerals and is only slowly released through chemical weathering. Thus, plant-available Si may be limited particularly in highly weathered soils in humid environments where long-term chemical weathering has lead to desilicification of the soils (e.g., in Southeast Asia where most rice is grown). In such Si-depleted environments, the biocycling of Si through decaying plant litter (i.e., phytoliths) and subsequent plant uptake has proven an important component of the terrestrial biogeochemical cycling of Si. Here, we investigate the dynamics of Si cycling over a two-year period in a rice paddy in Northern California where soil incorporation of harvested rice straw has impacted the terrestrial biogeochemical cycling of Si. We use Ge/Si ratios in pore-waters to infer the contribution of chemical weathering vs. dissolution of plant phytoliths on the plant-available Si pool. We found that the Ge/Si ratios change over the growing and fallow seasons reflecting different rates of Si release through phytolith dissolution and plant uptake.