Dataset Information

Silicon addition improves plant productivity and soil nutrient availability without changing the grass:legume ratio response to N fertilization.

ABSTRACT: Silicon (Si) plays an important role in plant nutrient capture and absorption, and also promotes plant mechanical strength and light interception in alpine meadows. In this study, we conducted a field experiment to examine the effect of nitrogen (N) application, with (N?+?Si) and without Si (N-only), on the potential for soil nutrient and the growth of grass and legume plant functional types (PFTs) in an alpine meadow. It was found that N?+?Si resulted in higher soil nutrient contents, leaf N and P concentrations, abundance and biomass of legume and grass PFTs than N-only. The aboveground biomass of grass (598 g m^-2) and legume (12.68 g m^-2) PFTs under 600 kg ha^-1 ammonium nitrate (NH₄NO₃) per year addition with Si was significantly higher than that under the same level of N addition without Si (515 and 8.68 g m^-2, respectively). The grass:legume biomass ratio did not differ significantly between the N?+?Si and N-only. This demonstrates that Si enhances N fertilization with apparently little effect on grass:legume ratio and increases plant-available nutrients, indicating that Si is essential for the plant community in alpine meadows.

SUBMITTER: Xu D

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7314743 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Silicon addition improves plant productivity and soil nutrient availability without changing the grass:legume ratio response to N fertilization.

Xu Danghui D Gao Tianpeng T Fang Xiangwen X Bu Haiyan H Li Qiuxia Q Wang Xiaona X Zhang Renyi R

Scientific reports 20200624 1

Silicon (Si) plays an important role in plant nutrient capture and absorption, and also promotes plant mechanical strength and light interception in alpine meadows. In this study, we conducted a field experiment to examine the effect of nitrogen (N) application, with (N + Si) and without Si (N-only), on the potential for soil nutrient and the growth of grass and legume plant functional types (PFTs) in an alpine meadow. It was found that N + Si resulted in higher soil nutrient contents, leaf N an ...[more]

PMID: 32581317

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Project description:Many studies demonstrate that elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations (eCO2) can promote root nodulation and biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) in legumes such as lucerne (Medicago sativa). But when elevated temperature (eT) conditions are applied in tandem with eCO2, a more realistic scenario for future climate change, the positive effects of eCO2 on nodulation and BNF in M. sativa are often much reduced. Silicon (Si) supplementation of M. sativa has also been reported to promote root nodulation and BNF, so could potentially restore the positive effects of eCO2 under eT. Increased nitrogen availability, however, could also increase host suitability for aphid pests, potentially negating any benefit. We applied eCO2 (+240 ppm) and eT (+4°C), separately and in combination, to M. sativa growing in Si supplemented (Si+) and un-supplemented soil (Si-) to determine whether Si moderated the effects of eCO2 and eT. Plants were either inoculated with the aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum or insect-free. In Si- soils, eCO2 stimulated plant growth by 67% and nodulation by 42%, respectively, whereas eT reduced these parameters by 26 and 48%, respectively. Aphids broadly mirrored these effects on Si- plants, increasing colonization rates under eCO2 and performing much worse (reduced abundance and colonization) under eT when compared to ambient conditions, confirming our hypothesized link between root nodulation, plant growth, and pest performance. Examined across all CO2 and temperature regimes, Si supplementation promoted plant growth (+93%), and root nodulation (+50%). A. pisum abundance declined sharply under eT conditions and was largely unaffected by Si supplementation. In conclusion, supplementing M. sativa with Si had consistent positive effects on plant growth and nodulation under different CO2 and temperature scenarios. These findings offer potential for using Si supplementation to maintain legume productivity under predicted climate change scenarios without making legumes more susceptible to insect pests.

Dataset Information

Silicon addition improves plant productivity and soil nutrient availability without changing the grass:legume ratio response to N fertilization.

Publications

Silicon addition improves plant productivity and soil nutrient availability without changing the grass:legume ratio response to N fertilization.

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