Chickpea enhances silicon accumulation in neighboring wheat: a role for rhizosheath carboxylates?
Abstract
Background and aims Low soil silicon (Si) availability may restrict crop silicification and its associated benefits for resistance to environmental stress. Cereal–legume intercropping offers a potential strategy to enhance soil Si mobility through the release of Si-mobilizing root exudates by legumes, particularly carboxylates. However, direct evidence supporting this mechanism remains limited. Methods In a glasshouse pot experiment, wheat ( Triticum aestivum ) was grown either as two individuals per pot or in combination with one chickpea ( Cicer arietinum ) individual. To test whether chickpea root exudates could mobilize soil Si and increase wheat Si concentrations ([Si]), 20 chickpea accessions with different patterns of carboxylate release were used. Intraspecific variation in [Si] among the 20 chickpea accessions was also quantified. Results Wheat grown together with chickpea showed higher leaf [Si] and Si content than wheat grown either alone or with another wheat plant in the same pot. Rhizosheath carboxylate concentrations were also greater in wheat-chickpea than in wheat-wheat combinations. However, wheat leaf [Si] was only marginally correlated with rhizosheath carboxylates and showed no correlation with chickpea leaf [Mn], used here as a proxy for root carboxylate release. In contrast, wheat leaf [Si] was positively correlated with wheat leaf [Mn]. Chickpea leaf [Si] also varied significantly among accessions. Conclusion Our study shows that chickpea promoted Si uptake in wheat. This effect may be partly related to chickpea-induced changes in rhizosphere processes, including carboxylate release, which could enhance the mobilization of poorly-available soil Si; however, further studies are needed to confirm this mechanism and to assess the contribution of other potential mechanisms. The significant variation in chickpea foliar [Si] among accessions also revealed previously overlooked diversity in silicification within this crop. These findings highlight the potential of crop interactions and agricultural management practices to enhance crop silicification, with possible benefits for stress resilience and yield.
Related
- Asymmetric bloom lengthening drives high-latitude ocean chlorophyll accumulation imbalance
- Accumulation of stranded plastic objects and other artefacts at Inaccessible Island, central South Atlantic Ocean
- Astronomical forcing and coal accumulation model of the Middle Jurassic Xishanyao Formation in the Turpan–Hami Basin, Northwestern China
- Accelerating anthropogenic influence on annual peak wood density and associated carbon accumulation across northern conifers
- Decoded Antarctic snow accumulation history reconciles observed and modeled trends in accumulation and large-scale warming patterns
BibTeX
@article{tombeur2026chickpea,
title = {{Chickpea enhances silicon accumulation in neighboring wheat: a role for rhizosheath carboxylates?}},
author = {Félix de Tombeur and Li Yan and Dan Tang and Lucas Plouzeau and Clément Gille and Sarah Thorne and Hans Lambers and Cyrille Violle and Sue Hartley and Jiayin Pang},
journal = {Plant and Soil},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1007/s11104-026-09070-w},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05844664v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Chickpea enhances silicon accumulation in neighboring wheat: a role for rhizosheath carboxylates?
AU - Félix de Tombeur
AU - Li Yan
AU - Dan Tang
AU - Lucas Plouzeau
AU - Clément Gille
AU - Sarah Thorne
AU - Hans Lambers
AU - Cyrille Violle
AU - Sue Hartley
AU - Jiayin Pang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/11
JO - Plant and Soil
DO - 10.1007/s11104-026-09070-w
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05844664v1
AB - Background and aims Low soil silicon (Si) availability may restrict crop silicification and its associated benefits for resistance to environmental stress. Cereal–legume intercropping offers a potential strategy to enhance soil Si mobility through the release of Si-mobilizing root exudates by legumes, particularly carboxylates. However, direct evidence supporting this mechanism remains limited. Methods In a glasshouse pot experiment, wheat ( Triticum aestivum ) was grown either as two individuals per pot or in combination with one chickpea ( Cicer arietinum ) individual. To test whether chickpea root exudates could mobilize soil Si and increase wheat Si concentrations ([Si]), 20 chickpea accessions with different patterns of carboxylate release were used. Intraspecific variation in [Si] among the 20 chickpea accessions was also quantified. Results Wheat grown together with chickpea showed higher leaf [Si] and Si content than wheat grown either alone or with another wheat plant in the same pot. Rhizosheath carboxylate concentrations were also greater in wheat-chickpea than in wheat-wheat combinations. However, wheat leaf [Si] was only marginally correlated with rhizosheath carboxylates and showed no correlation with chickpea leaf [Mn], used here as a proxy for root carboxylate release. In contrast, wheat leaf [Si] was positively correlated with wheat leaf [Mn]. Chickpea leaf [Si] also varied significantly among accessions. Conclusion Our study shows that chickpea promoted Si uptake in wheat. This effect may be partly related to chickpea-induced changes in rhizosphere processes, including carboxylate release, which could enhance the mobilization of poorly-available soil Si; however, further studies are needed to confirm this mechanism and to assess the contribution of other potential mechanisms. The significant variation in chickpea foliar [Si] among accessions also revealed previously overlooked diversity in silicification within this crop. These findings highlight the potential of crop interactions and agricultural management practices to enhance crop silicification, with possible benefits for stress resilience and yield.
SN - 0032-079X
SN - 1573-5036
ER -