@article{PuppeKaczorekSchalleretal.2021,
  author    = {Puppe, Daniel and Kaczorek, Danuta and Schaller, J{\"o}rg and Barkusky, Dietmar and Sommer, Michael},
  title     = {Crop straw recycling prevents anthropogenic desilication of agricultural soil-plant systems in the temperate zone},
  series = {Geoderma : an international journal of soil science},
  volume    = {403},
  journal   = {Geoderma : an international journal of soil science},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address   = {Amsterdam},
  issn      = {0016-7061},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.geoderma.2021.115187},
  pages     = {13},
  year      = {2021},
  abstract  = {Due to the fact that silicon (Si) increases the resistance of plants against diverse abiotic and biotic stresses, Si nowadays is categorized as beneficial substance for plants. However, humans directly influence Si cycling on a global scale. Intensified agriculture and corresponding harvest-related Si exports lead to Si losses in agricultural soils. This anthropogenic desilication might be a big challenge for modern agriculture. However, there is still only little knowledge about Si cycling in agricultural systems of the temperate zone, because most studies focus on rice and sugarcane production in (sub)tropical areas. Furthermore, many studies are performed for a short term only, and thus do not provide the opportunity to analyze slow changes in soil-plant systems (e.g., desilication) over long periods. We analyzed soil and plant samples from an ongoing long-term field experiment (established 1963) in the temperate zone (NE Germany) to evaluate the effects of different nitrogen-phosphoruspotassium (NPK) fertilization rates and crop straw recycling (i.e., straw incorporation) on anthropogenic desilication in the long term. Our results clearly show that crop straw recycling not only prevents anthropogenic desilication (about 43-60\% of Si exports can be saved by crop straw recycling in the long term), but also replenishes plant available Si stocks of agricultural soil-plant systems. Furthermore, we found that a reduction of N fertilization rates of about 69\% is possible without considerable biomass losses. This economy of the need for N fertilizers potentially can be combined with the benefits of crop straw recycling, i.e., enhancement of carbon sequestration via straw inputs and prevention of anthropogenic desilication of agricultural soil-plant systems. Thus crop straw recycling might have the potential to act as key management practice in sustainable, low fertilization agriculture in the temperate zone in the future.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{SchallerScherwietesGerberetal.2021,
  author    = {Schaller, J{\"o}rg and Scherwietes, Eric and Gerber, Lukas and Vaidya, Shrijana and Kaczorek, Danuta and Pausch, Johanna and Barkusky, Dietmar and Sommer, Michael and Hoffmann, Mathias},
  title     = {Silica fertilization improved wheat performance and increased phosphorus concentrations during drought at the field scale},
  series = {Scientific reports},
  volume    = {11},
  journal   = {Scientific reports},
  number    = {1},
  publisher = {Macmillan Publishers Limited, part of Springer Nature},
  address   = {[London]},
  issn      = {2045-2322},
  doi       = {10.1038/s41598-021-00464-7},
  pages     = {12},
  year      = {2021},
  abstract  = {Drought and the availability of mineable phosphorus minerals used for fertilization are two of the important issues agriculture is facing in the future. High phosphorus availability in soils is necessary to maintain high agricultural yields. Drought is one of the major threats for terrestrial ecosystem performance and crop production in future. Among the measures proposed to cope with the upcoming challenges of intensifying drought stress and to decrease the need for phosphorus fertilizer application is the fertilization with silica (Si). Here we tested the importance of soil Si fertilization on wheat phosphorus concentration as well as wheat performance during drought at the field scale. Our data clearly showed a higher soil moisture for the Si fertilized plots. This higher soil moisture contributes to a better plant performance in terms of higher photosynthetic activity and later senescence as well as faster stomata responses ensuring higher productivity during drought periods. The plant phosphorus concentration was also higher in Si fertilized compared to control plots. Overall, Si fertilization or management of the soil Si pools seem to be a promising tool to maintain crop production under predicted longer and more serve droughts in the future and reduces phosphorus fertilizer requirements.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{SommerJochheimHoehnetal.2013,
  author    = {Sommer, Michael and Jochheim, H. and H{\"o}hn, Axel and Breuer, J{\"o}rn and Zagorski, Z. and Busse, J. and Barkusky, Dietmar and Meier, K. and Puppe, D. and Wanner, Manfred and Kaczorek, Danuta},
  title     = {Si cycling in a forest biogeosystem - the importance of transient state biogenic Si pools},
  series = {Biogeosciences},
  volume    = {10},
  journal   = {Biogeosciences},
  number    = {7},
  publisher = {Copernicus},
  address   = {G{\"o}ttingen},
  issn      = {1726-4170},
  doi       = {10.5194/bg-10-4991-2013},
  pages     = {4991 -- 5007},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {The relevance of biological Si cycling for dissolved silica (DSi) export from terrestrial biogeosystems is still in debate. Even in systems showing a high content of weatherable minerals, like Cambisols on volcanic tuff, biogenic Si (BSi) might contribute > 50\% to DSi (Gerard et al., 2008). However, the number of biogeosystem studies is rather limited for generalized conclusions. To cover one end of controlling factors on DSi, i.e., weatherable minerals content, we studied a forested site with absolute quartz dominance (> 95 \%). Here we hypothesise minimal effects of chemical weathering of silicates on DSi. During a four year observation period (05/2007-04/2011), we quantified (i) internal and external Si fluxes of a temperate-humid biogeosystem (beech, 120 yr) by BIOME-BGC (version ZALF), (ii) related Si budgets, and (iii) Si pools in soil and beech, chemically as well as by SEM-EDX. For the first time two compartments of biogenic Si in soils were analysed, i.e., phytogenic and zoogenic Si pool (testate amoebae). We quantified an average Si plant uptake of 35 kg Si ha(-1) yr(-1) - most of which is recycled to the soil by litterfall - and calculated an annual biosilicification from idiosomic testate amoebae of 17 kg Si ha(-1). The comparatively high DSi concentrations (6 mg L-1) and DSi exports (12 kg Si ha(-1) yr(-1)) could not be explained by chemical weathering of feldspars or quartz dissolution. Instead, dissolution of a relictic, phytogenic Si pool seems to be the main process for the DSi observed. We identified canopy closure accompanied by a disappearance of grasses as well as the selective extraction of pine trees 30 yr ago as the most probable control for the phenomena observed. From our results we concluded the biogeosystem to be in a transient state in terms of Si cycling.},
  language  = {en}
}