"Natural, little-affected soils contain 6% to 7% amorphous silicate," Schaller explains. Due to the increased biomass production, more organic carbon also enters the soil in the form of straw, which is fixed there, thus improving the soil. As a result, more biomass is formed and yields increase. In a drought, this additional water could be life-supporting for the plant until the next downpour and thus reduce crop losses.īetter plant growth, more carbon sequestrationĭue to the improved water availability in the soil, the plant biomass doubled after silicon fertilization. "If the top 20 centimeters of the soil layer have 1% more silicate, we have about 40% more plant-available water," says Jörg Schaller, describing the results of his experiments. In particular, the ability to store water can open up new potentials: Like a sponge, amorphous silicate attracts water molecules that accumulate in a gel shell around the silicate core. Compared to the control, wheat yield increased by more than 80% on land fertilized with one percent silicon in an experiment on marginal land. Jörg Schaller, show that fertilizing the field with so-called "amorphous silicate" can increase both nutrient and water availability in the soil. The research results from a group, led by Dr. Current agricultural practices often rely on high levels of fertilizer which is not sustainable. Either the yield per area must therefore increase, or the area under cultivation must be increased without increasing the energy required for cultivation. To ensure the supply of food for a growing world population, agricultural production must grow while remaining ecologically sustainable. In the future, this could improve the plants' robustness to drought episodes. The sequestration of carbon in the soil and the availability of water also improved significantly as a result of fertilization.
TYPO JOURNAL TRIAL
In a field trial in Brandenburg, the plants formed significantly more biomass: Yields increased by 80% compared to conventionally farmed areas.
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