Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 7
S
ILICON
F
ERTILIZERS
:
A
GRICULTURAL
AND
E
NVIRONMENTAL
I
MPACTS
E. A. Bocharnikova
1,
and V. V. Matichenkov
2,
†
1
Institute Physical-Chemical and Biological Problems
in Soil Science Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Russia
2
Institute Basic Biological Problems Russian Academy of Sciences,
Pushchino, Russia
A
BSTRACT
Silicon (Si) is the second most abundant element of the Earth's surface. Usually the
cultivated plants adsorb Si in amounts equivalent or higher to those of essential
macronutrients such as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). Silicon
fertilization has a double effect on the soil-plant system. First, improved plant Si nutrition
reinforces plant protective properties against diseases, insect attack, and unfavorable
climatic conditions such as drought, salt, heavy metal or hydrocarbon toxicity. Second,
soil treatment with biogeochemically active Si substances optimizes soil fertility through
improved water, physical, and chemical soil properties and maintenance of nutrients in
plant-available forms. As a result, Si fertilization gives possibility to reduce the
application of pesticides (by 40-70%), traditional mineral fertilizers (by 10-40%),
irrigation water (by 30-40%) without a reduction in the yield of cultivated plants. On an
average, Si fertilization provides the increase in yield by 10-25%. Several types of Si
fertilizers are available on the market: natural, synthetic, liquid, or solid. Some industrial
by-products can be used as Si fertilizer as well. Special methodologies were elaborated to
assess soil Si deficiency and Si fertilizer activity. Besides economical effects (increasing
plant productivity, reduction of the traditional agrochemical application rates), Si
fertilizers have high environmental impacts. First of all, the application of Si fertilizer
provides increasing or restoration of the soil fertility level and reducing the leaching of
chemicals from cultivated areas. These effects realized via improvement of physical-
chemical and biological properties of the soil. Second, Si fertilizers can be used to control
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