Pedosphere 36(3): 693--709, 2026
ISSN 1002-0160/CN 32-1315/P
©2026 Soil Science Society of China
Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press
| Amorphous and plant-available silicon status in soils of the Austrian province of Lower Austria |
Dmytro MONOSHYN1,2, Mirriam C. CHIBESA1, Markus PUSCHENREITER3, Olivier DUBOC3, Jakob SANTNER1,4 , Walter W. WENZEL3 |
1BOKU University, Department of Crop Sciences, Institute of Agronomy, Konrad-Lorenz-Strasse 24, Tulln an der Donau 3430 (Austria);
2 BOKU University, Institute of Zoology, Gregor-Mendel-Strasse 33/I, Vienna 1180 (Austria);
3 BOKU University, Department of Forest- and Soil Sciences, Institute of Soil Research, Konrad-Lorenz-Strasse 24, Tulln an der Donau 3430 (Austria);
4 Justus Liebig University Giessen, Institute of Plant Nutrition, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32, Giessen D-35392 (Germany) |
| ABSTRACT |
| Silicon (Si) is a beneficial element that enhances plant resistance against biotic and abiotic stresses, e.g., drought and fungal infections. Little is known about amorphous Si (ASi) and plant-available Si contents of agricultural soils of the temperate climate zone and the factors influencing them, as regional studies are scarce. In this study, we analyzed calcareous and non-calcareous topsoils (0-20 cm) from 146 grassland and 271 cropland sites in the Austrian province of Lower Austria for ASi, CaCl2-extractable Si (SiCaCl2), and key soil characteristics, with the goal of investigating the current status and environmental controls of soil Si levels. Using the random forest model, we identified carbonate (negatively) and clay content (positively) to be highly associated with the model outputs for soil ASi content, with r2 = 0.48 and root mean square error (RMSE) = 852 mg kg-1. In addition, ASi content (positively) and soil pH (positively) were highly associated with soil SiCaCl2 content (r2 = 0.54, RMSE = 11.8 mg kg-1). Between two soil sampling campaigns (1986-2000 and 2015-2020), we observed no significant change in ASi content but significant increases in SiCaCl2 content in calcareous cropland and non-calcareous grassland soils, likely associated with soil management changes that occurred in the area in this period. Moreover, SiCaCl2 was found to be low in many soils compared to potential Si uptake by strong Si accumulator plants. Our findings provide valuable insights into so far scarcely studied controls and long-term dynamics of ASi and SiCaCl2 in soils of the temperate zone. |
| Key Words: calcareous soil|climate|cropland|grassland|land use|non-calcareous soil|random forest|soil management practices|temperate zone |
| Citation: Monoshyn D, Chibesa M C, Puschenreiter M, Duboc O, Santner J, Wenzel W W. 2026. Amorphous and plant-available silicon status in soils of the Austrian province of Lower Austria. Pedosphere. 36(3): 693-709. |
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