Abstract
Silicate slags are one of the most widely used silicon (Si) source in agriculture. Even though the agronomic significance of slags has been demonstrated in several crops, only a few attempts were made to evaluate these Si sources based on their chemical composition. The main objective of this study was to characterize different silicate slags based on their chemical properties and to explore the effect of these chemical properties on the yield, and Si uptake in wetland rice, and dissolution of Si into the soil. Slags were characterised for pH, calcium and magnesium content (alkalinity, A), silicon content, 5 day Na2CO3 + NH4NO3 extractable Si content, and alkalinity to Si ratio (A/Si). Greenhouse and incubation experiments were also conducted using different silicate slags and wollastonite applied at the rate of 300 kg Si ha−1. Slags with A/Si < 3 were found to be ideal Si sources for the economic production of wetland rice and found consistent in increasing soil Si content and rice Si uptake. We conclude that the A/Si ratio of slags can be used as an important parameter to assess the agronomic efficiency of silicate slags in wetland rice.
Highlights
Silicate slags are one of the most widely used silicon (Si) source in agriculture
There are only few attempts made to describe the agronomic performance of different Si sources and Si uptake based on their chemical c omposition[18,19]
Calcium carbonate equivalent (CCE) of different slags used in this study suggests that it has low to moderate liming ability[22,23,24,25]
Summary
Silicate slags are one of the most widely used silicon (Si) source in agriculture. Even though the agronomic significance of slags has been demonstrated in several crops, only a few attempts were made to evaluate these Si sources based on their chemical composition. Soils of major rice growing regions, the tropics and sub-tropics are typically acidic and depleted of soluble sources of silicon (Si) due to weathering and leaching associated with high rainfall and temperatures, together with intensive cropping[8,9,10,11,12]. This emphasize the need for field application of Si source/ sources, which can improve soil Si status and sustain better rice production. Silicate slags were evaluated as Si sources based on their alkalinity and Si composition, extractable Si content, ability to release silicon, acquisition of released Si by plants and their performance on growth and yield of rice
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