Effect of silica nanoparticles on microbial biomass and silica availability in maize rhizosphere

The effect of silica nanoparticles and conventional silica sources on the changes in microbial biomass and silica availability to pure soil and maize rhizosphere was studied. Nanosilica (20-40 nm) was synthesized from rice husk and comprehensively characterized. The efficiency of nanosilica was evaluated in terms of its effects on beneficial microbial population such as phosphate solubilizers, nitrogen fixers, silicate solubilizers, microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen content, and silica content in comparison with other silica sources such as microsilica, sodium silicate, and silicic acid. Nanosilica significantly (P < 0.05) enhanced microbial populations, total biomass content (C = 1508 mu g g(-1) and N = 178 mu g g(-1)), and silica content (14.75 mg mL(-1)). Although microsilica sources enhanced factors associated with soil fertility, their use by maize roots and silicification in soil was found to be less. The results show that nanosilica plays a vital role in influencing soil nutrient content and microbial biota and, hence, may promote the growth of maize crop. (c) 2013 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.