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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Adaptive Cropping Systems Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #326553
Title: Integrated management strategies for Arsenic and Cadmium in rice paddy environments

Author
item Chaney, Rufus
item KIM, WON II - National Academy Of Agricultural Science
item KUNHIKRISHNAN, ANITHA - National Academy Of Agricultural Science
item YANG, YEA - Kangwon National University
item OK, YONG - Kangwon National University

Submitted to: Geoderma
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/28/2016
Publication Date: 5/15/2016
Citation: Chaney, R.L., Kim, W., Kunhikrishnan, A., Yang, Y.E., Ok, Y.S. 2016. Integrated management strategies for Arsenic and Cadmium in rice paddy environments. Geoderma. 270: 1-2.

Interpretive Summary: For reasons of soil chemistry and plant physiology, rice is a major dietary source of inorganic arsenic in human diets, and can be a major source of dietary cadmium for humans. Under flooded soil conditions, rice accumulates inorganic arsenic into grain, while more aerobic soil conditions reduce rice arsenic accumulation. But when aerobic soil conditions are managed, rice accumulates much more cadmium. Both arsenic and cadmium can threaten human health when excessive quantities are accumulated by rice because rice is a major staple food of billions of citizens. Thus methods are sought to alleviate accumulation of arsenic and cadmium in rice grain. The papers from the Symposium include methods to remove Cd from paddy soils, methods to manage irrigation to minimize uptake of both elements, methods for genetic improvement of rice to reject cadmium and arsenic, and related topics. More research is needed to solve these important problem.

Technical Abstract: Rice is both a major staple food for human populations, and the major source of soil arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) transfer to the human food chain. Thus soil and crop accumulation of As and Cd have become major environmental issues globally. Arsenic and Cd contamination of soils and rice threatens food security, safety and quality, as well as the long-term agricultural sustainability of rice crops. A Symposium on Integrated Management Strategies for Arsenic and Cadmium in Rice Paddy Environments was held at the 20th World Congress of Soil Science at which papers reported contamination processes, removal of As and Cd from paddy soils, management of paddy soils to minimize rice accumulation of As and Cd and related soil and plant science research. Important progress has been made in understanding why rice accumulates such high levels of As and Cd and identification of methods to manage rice production to reduce these transfers.