Abstract
Aims
Silicophytoliths contribute to the pool of amorphous silica that is incorporated into the soils acting as intermediary in the biogeochemical cycle of silicon. Most studies focus their attention in the production of aerial parts of plants but not in roots. In order to advance into the knowledge about the relevance of root amorphous silica in soil Si cycle, we studied the silicophytolith content of roots from grasses and crops, and from soil’s roots of different sites from Pampean region, Argentina, one of the most fertile and used for agricultural practices.
Methods
Roots from three crops and seven grasses and from soils under three different uses were studied. Silicophytoliths were extracted by a calcination technique.
Results
All the species produced silicophytoliths derived from vascular and/or endodermal tissues. Silicophytolith content was higher in Pampean grasses (6.34–15.38%) than in crops (0.01–1.58%). Root silicophytolith content in the pasture was 10 times higher than in the other sites.
Conclusions
The potential input of root silica to soils is related to the type and cover of vegetation, the amount of roots in soils and the silicophytoliths accumulated in roots. Results suggested that root silicophytoliths should be consider in future studies of biogeochemical cycle of Si.
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Abbreviations
- RC:
-
Content of roots present in soil samples
- SiR:
-
The content of silicophytoliths in soil roots
- SiRS:
-
The input of silicophytolith from roots to soils
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Acknowledgements
Fieldwork was supported by National University of Mar del Plata (UNMdP), Buenos Aires, Argentina (EXA 839/17) and Fund for Scientific and Technology Research (FONCyT - PICT 2495/17). A fellowship from National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (UNMdP-CONICET) to Micaela Paolicchi is acknowledged.
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Paolicchi, M., Benvenuto, M.L., Honaine, M.F. et al. Root silicification of grasses and crops from the Pampean region and its relevance to silica and silicophytolith content of soils. Plant Soil 444, 351–363 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-019-04287-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-019-04287-4