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pH as a proxy for estimating plant-available Si? A case study in rice fields in Karnataka (South India)

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Abstract

Background and aims

Although Si is recognized as a beneficial element for crops, the determination of plant-available silicon (PAS) in soils has become challenging. A correlation between pH and PAS indicators has been reported in the literature due to the higher degree of weathering of acidic soil. We tested this hypothesis in the cultivated rice fields of Karnataka State, India, which exhibit gradients of pH and climate.

Method

Two hundred surface soil samples were collected from rice fields representing nine of the ten agro-climatic zones (ACZs) defined for Karnataka. We analyzed the Si extracted by calcium chloride (SiCC) and the Si extracted by acetate-acetic acid (SiAA) as PAS indicators. The samples were analyzed for particle size distribution, pH, electrical conductivity and cation exchange capacity. Forty subsamples were selected for mineralogical and chemical analysis.

Results

PCA of the 200 samples showed that PAS indicators and pH were positively correlated. SiAA was also positively correlated with electric conductivity (EC), CEC, and the silt fraction and negatively correlated with the sand fraction. A separation of the data arbitrarily made at pH 7.5 showed that below 7.5, the correlation between PAS indicators and pH was better than considering the whole 200 samples. The distribution of SiAA with pH matched the curve of adsorbed Si given in the literature. Soils characterized by low pH and high contents of sand, SiO2, Zr and Hf, showed a higher degree of weathering. They were preferentially located along the coast, where the rainfall is the most abundant. The depletion of PAS indicators was also in good agreement with the predominance of kaolinite instead of smectite, which characterizes a higher degree of desilication.

Conclusion

We demonstrated that the correlation between pH and PAS indicators is explained by natural Si depletion (weathering intensity) and the effect of Si adsorption. We suggest that at pH values up to 7.5, pH can be used as a proxy for PAS in similar types of pedo-climatic conditions.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financed by the Indo-French Centre for the Promotion of Advanced Research (IFCPAR/CEFIPRA project n°5109-1). The authors wish to thank Jules Fleury and Yves Lucas for their helpful contributions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, IRD, INRA, Coll France, CEREGE, Aix en Provence, France

    Jean-Dominique Meunier, Daniel Borschneck & Philippe Dussouillez

  2. Department of Soil Science & Agr Chemistry, GKVK, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru, Karnataka, 560065, India

    Kollalu Sandhya & Nagabovanalli B. Prakash

Authors
  1. Jean-Dominique Meunier
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  2. Kollalu Sandhya
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  3. Nagabovanalli B. Prakash
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  4. Daniel Borschneck
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  5. Philippe Dussouillez
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Correspondence to Jean-Dominique Meunier.

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Responsible Editor: Yong Chao Liang.

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Meunier, JD., Sandhya, K., Prakash, N.B. et al. pH as a proxy for estimating plant-available Si? A case study in rice fields in Karnataka (South India). Plant Soil 432, 143–155 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-018-3758-7

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