Back to Search
Start Over
Oil-palm and Rainforest Phytoliths Dissolve at Different Rates - with Implications for Silicon Cycling After Transformation of Rainforest Into Oil-palm Plantation.
- Source :
- SILICON (1876990X); Feb2023, Vol. 15 Issue 3, p1347-1354, 8p
- Publication Year :
- 2023
-
Abstract
- Phytoliths make up the predominant fraction of biogenic silica in plant litter and soils. Thus, they represent a major source of dissolved silicon (Si) in soil-plant systems. Dissolution of phytoliths from Si-accumulating crops such as rice has been well studied in recent years. However, phytolith dissolution in oil-palm plantations remains largely understudied. In this study, we compared dissolution rates of phytoliths isolated from oil-palm fronds, oil-palm litter, and rainforest litter. Our results showed that phytoliths from oil-palm fronds represent an important reservoir of easily dissolvable Si with high dissolution rates (0.44 - 0.69 mg g - 1 d - 1 ). Compared to fresh phytoliths from oil-palm fronds, phytoliths isolated from litter showed up to 18 times lower dissolution rates, reflecting silica aging over time. The dissolution rate of phytoliths isolated from rainforest litter (0.067 mg g - 1 d - 1 ) was significantly higher than that of phytoliths from oil-palm litter (0.038 mg g - 1 d - 1 ). These results demonstrate that transformation of rainforest into oil-palm plantation involves a major change in phytolith production and Si release from litter, considerably altering Si cycling in the soil-plant system. We identified cut-off palm fronds that are usually piled up between the palm rows as most important Si sources maintaining biogeochemical Si cycling in oil-palm plantations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1876990X
- Volume :
- 15
- Issue :
- 3
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- SILICON (1876990X)
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 162032665
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s12633-022-02066-y