Increase of available soil silicon by Si-rich manure for sustainable rice production

Abstract

Depletion of bioavailable silicon, Si, in paddy soils can decrease the yields of rice. A potential solution is to amend soil with Si-rich organic wastes such as manure from animals fed with rice crop residues. Here, we studied Si in soils from 2000 to 2010 field experiments without manure, with 5 and 10 years of manure, in Eastern China. Results showed that available Si in soils increased from 130 to 270 mg kg−1 after 10 years of manure amendment. This finding is explained either by direct input of available Si or by Si produced by mineralization of Si minerals. To conclude, our results show that amending soil with Si-rich manure in the long term is a solution for sustainable rice production.