Spatial distribution of status silicon availability for plant and its effect to rice yield

Abstract

<p>Silicon (Si) is a beneficial element for rice plants. However, evaluating the Si availability status of paddy soil is rarely done. This study aimed to investigate the Si availability for plant (Si<sub>AP</sub>), spatial distribution, Si<sub>AP</sub> correlations with some soil properties and the effect of Si<sub>AP</sub> status on the rice yield. This study used a survey method to collect paddy soil and water sample. The pot experiment method was used to evaluate paddy plant response to Si<sub>AP</sub> level. Based on K-means, cluster analysis showed that soil Si<sub>AP</sub> was categorized low (< 147 mg SiO<sub>2</sub> kg<sup>-1</sup>), moderate (147 – 224 mg SiO<sub>2</sub> kg<sup>-1</sup>) and high (> 224 mg SiO<sub>2 </sub>kg<sup>-1</sup>). The Si<sub>AP</sub> status of the paddy soil area of 26,395 hectares (25%), 61,744 hectares (59%) and 15,952 hectares (15%) was categorized as low, moderate and high, respectively. This present study revealed that the upland area paddy soil has higher Si<sub>AP</sub> than the lowland area. Total silicon dioxide (SiO<sub>2</sub>) and clay percentage were negatively correlated with the SiAP in soils. Silicon addition to the paddy soil with Si<sub>AP</sub> status showed low to high increase in rice yield by 0.2%, 3.9% and 2.7%.</p>