Reducing Arsenic Accumulation in Rice Grain through Iron Oxide Amendment

Effects of soil-arsenic (As), phosphorus and iron oxide on As accumulation in rice grain were investigated. Cultivars that have significantly different sensitivity to As, straighthead-resistant Zhe 733 and straighthead-susceptible Cocodrie, were used to represent different cultivar varieties. The grain accumulation of other elements of concern, selenium (Se), molybdenum (Mo), and cadmium (Cd) was also monitored. Results demonstrated that high soil-As not only resulted in high grain-As, but could also result in high grain-Se, and Zhe 733 had significantly less grain-As than Cocodrie did. However, soil-As did not impact grain-Mo and Cd. Among all elements monitored, iron oxide amendment significantly reduced grain-As for both cultivars, while the phosphate application only reduced grain-Se for Zhe 733. Results also indicated that cultivar type significantly impacted grain accumulation of all monitored trace elements. Therefore, applying iron oxide to As-contaminated land, in addition to choosing appropriate rice cultivar, can effectively reduce the grain accumulation of As.