Fig. 1: Two views on silicon uptake and beneficial ecosystem processes.

(Box A) Well-known view on conceptualizing key silicon (Si) beneficial responses to the ecology service. This Si ecosystem service supports the service of nutrient cycling and soil improvement, provisioning services for food/energy supply, and regulating pests and climate. (Box B) Perspective view on increasing Si uptake and agroecosystem services by developing new varieties of deep-rooted crops. Facing climate change and land use disturbance in the future, agroecosystems will suffer from several biotic and abiotic stresses, weakening agroecosystem production and its sustainable food system. Sustainable development of agroecosystems is predicted to be exceptionally sensitive to Si uptake. This likely means that enhancing plant Si uptake can improve crop productivity under environmental and climatic change conditions. Deep rooting is an important crop trait that enhances the uptake of soil water and nutrients¹². However, little is known about whether and to what extent Si uptake and agroecosystem processes are coupled by developing new varieties of deep-rooted crops. A perspective view on increasing Si uptake and agroecosystem services by obtaining crops with increased root biomass and deep rooting, as it can be involved in several key ecology processes: (i) taking up more Si in deep horizons where it is more readily available as bioavailable silicic acid [i.e., Si(OH)₄] (i.e., deeper horizons usually contain more weatherable minerals), which, in turn, gives a beneficial feedback on crop productivity via alleviating drought and environmental stresses; (ii) contributing to store more organic carbon at the depth via root biomass input and the subsequent debris decomposition, and deep pedogenic pathways, since the resilience of soil organic carbon can be increased by 1000–10000 at depth^21,36; and (iii) transforming CO₂ (main provider in the soil = biological activity) into the stored or leached alkalinity via deep bio-weathering of silicates (irreversible in soil). Responding to these ecosystem processes will require all efforts from plant and soil scientists and agronomists towards better measuring, managing, and utilizing Si cycle and agroecosystem service.