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Background &amp; aims <p>Rice production faces dual challenges of insufficient plant-available silicon (Si) in soils and environmental risks from conventional Si fertilizers. Diatoms, as bioactive silicon sources, exhibit potential for soil amelioration and yield enhancement, yet their dose–response relationships and mechanistic roles in paddy ecosystems remain unresolved. This study aimed to unravel the synergistic optimization mechanisms of diatom-based bio-silicon fertilizers in soil-crop systems, providing a foundation for sustainable Si management strategies.</p> Methods <p>Controlled pot experiments compared viable diatoms, diatomaceous earth, alkali-modified diatomaceous earth, and commercial granular Si fertilizers. Soil available nutrients, heavy metal bioavailability, and rice agronomic performance were quantified. Principal Coordinate Analysis (PCoA) and Partial Least Squares Path Modeling (PLS-PM) were employed to decode the interaction network among Si sources, soil interfaces, and crop responses.</p> Results <p>Medium-rate diatom treatment (0.125&#xa0;g&#xa0;kg⁻<sup>1</sup> soil) significantly enhanced soil available Si, alkaline-hydrolyzable N, and available K (by 4.6%, 10.7%, and 44.0%, respectively), reduced Cd/Pb bioavailability (10.3–7.6%), and increased rice yield (41.7%) via improved nutrient assimilation (total N: + 13.4%; total K: + 24.6%) and optimized agronomic traits (seed-setting rate: 94.8%; harvest index: 44.9%). PLS-PM demonstrated that diatoms remodeled soil nutrient networks through sustained Si release, mediating heavy metal detoxification and yield synergism.</p> Conclusion <p>This study represents the first systematic investigation into the dynamics of silicon cycling mediated by living diatoms in paddy soils and its relationship with rice crop responses. We specifically investigate whether silicon derived from living diatoms offers unique mechanisms and benefits for silicon uptake and stress tolerance in rice compared to fossilized sources like diatomite, thereby providing practical guidance for optimizing nutrient management in sustainable agriculture.</p>

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Diatomaceous bio-silicon as a sustainable alternative to mineral silicon fertilizers: impacts on rice yield, soilfertility, and heavy metal dynamics

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年12月2日

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  • Yanqi Guo,
  • Shengnan Ouyang,
  • Junquan Chen,
  • Zhi Lin,
  • Chao Xiao,
  • Dong Liu,
  • Guangjie Chen,
  • Qin Zhang

摘要

Background & aims

Rice production faces dual challenges of insufficient plant-available silicon (Si) in soils and environmental risks from conventional Si fertilizers. Diatoms, as bioactive silicon sources, exhibit potential for soil amelioration and yield enhancement, yet their dose–response relationships and mechanistic roles in paddy ecosystems remain unresolved. This study aimed to unravel the synergistic optimization mechanisms of diatom-based bio-silicon fertilizers in soil-crop systems, providing a foundation for sustainable Si management strategies.

Methods

Controlled pot experiments compared viable diatoms, diatomaceous earth, alkali-modified diatomaceous earth, and commercial granular Si fertilizers. Soil available nutrients, heavy metal bioavailability, and rice agronomic performance were quantified. Principal Coordinate Analysis (PCoA) and Partial Least Squares Path Modeling (PLS-PM) were employed to decode the interaction network among Si sources, soil interfaces, and crop responses.

Results

Medium-rate diatom treatment (0.125 g kg⁻1 soil) significantly enhanced soil available Si, alkaline-hydrolyzable N, and available K (by 4.6%, 10.7%, and 44.0%, respectively), reduced Cd/Pb bioavailability (10.3–7.6%), and increased rice yield (41.7%) via improved nutrient assimilation (total N: + 13.4%; total K: + 24.6%) and optimized agronomic traits (seed-setting rate: 94.8%; harvest index: 44.9%). PLS-PM demonstrated that diatoms remodeled soil nutrient networks through sustained Si release, mediating heavy metal detoxification and yield synergism.

Conclusion

This study represents the first systematic investigation into the dynamics of silicon cycling mediated by living diatoms in paddy soils and its relationship with rice crop responses. We specifically investigate whether silicon derived from living diatoms offers unique mechanisms and benefits for silicon uptake and stress tolerance in rice compared to fossilized sources like diatomite, thereby providing practical guidance for optimizing nutrient management in sustainable agriculture.