Do climate and land use affect the pool of total silicon concentration? A digital soil mapping approach of French topsoils

•The topsoil total Si concentration (Si topsoil) is best explained by a combination of parent rocks and pedology.•Rainfall can affect Si topsoil of non-calcareous soils.•Land use does not affect Si topsoil.•We explore the link between Si topsoil and plant available Si (PAS) by the CaCl2.•The relation between Si topsoil and the PAS is a function of the soil parent material. Silicon (Si) is the second most abundant element in the Earth’s crust after O. Its concentration in soils is highly variable from