A study on the uptake of trivalent and hexavalent chromium by paddy ( Oryza sativa): possible chemical modifications in rhizosphere

Abstract

The uptake and translocation of chromium by paddy ( Oryza sativa L. Arbario) was studied using radiotracers. Chromium was supplied as Cr III and Cr VI through irrigation water and plants were grown in sand and soil culture. The uptake of chromium for both the oxidation states and culture types was found to increase more or less linearly with the increase in chromium concentration though with different slopes. The rate of increase of the uptake when compared to the increase in feed concentration indicates that the uptake by roots is mediated possibly through a passive mechanism. For a given concentration of feed, values of chromium in μgg −1 dry matter in shoot and grain did not vary significantly either for different oxidation states of feed chromium or culture type. The order of uptake for paddy shows a considerably different pattern when compared to onion, maize and groundnut. This has been qualitatively explained on the basis of the different chemistry of chromium in the rhizosphere of paddy. The amount of chromium translocated to grain was also considerably less compared to the other three crops.