WORLD FARMING

years and examining them using scanning transmission X-ray microscopy at the CLS, Schaller and his colleagues were able to better understand how and why silicon and phosphorus bond to the soil.

The wide range of paddy soil gave Schaller’s team a precise look at how long it takes soil to be depleted of silicon and saturated with phosphorus.

“It’s really valuable (to be able to study so many samples),” said Schaller. “Rice cultivation, they’ve done it for a really long time…it’s really interesting, to use such samples.”

Because phosphorus is critical to the growth of rice and so many other crops, finding a more sustainable solution to promoting rice growth — like using cheaper and more available silicon-based