Abstract
Cadmium (Cd) contamination in agricultural soils has become a serious issue owing to its high toxicity threat to human health through the food chain. The purpose of this paper is to explore the availability of foliar selenium (Se) application in reducing Cd enrichment in brown rice. A field experiment from 2017 to 2019 was conducted to investigate the effects of foliar Se application on the physiology and yields of three rice cultivars and their accumulation of Cd in low-Cd and high-Cd soils. The grain protein contents and yields of rice plants grown in the high-Cd soil were lower than those of plants cultivated in the low-Cd soil by 27.85% and 6.82%, whereas the malondialdehyde (MDA) and Cd contents were higher by 66.06% and 91.47%, respectively. Se application reduced Cd translocation from the stems and leaves to the spikes, decreasing the Cd content in brown rice by 40.36%. Additionally, Se enhanced the antioxidative activity, glutathione and protein contents, and rice yield (7.58%) and decreased the MDA and proline contents. However, these Se effects weakened under the high-Cd soil. Foliar Se application can alleviate Cd-induced physiological stress in brown rice while improving its yield and reducing its Cd content.
Highlights
Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a staple food which is consumed by approximately 50% of the worldwide population (Sharma et al 2017)
Numerous studies have shown that Se application in soil could significantly restrict the soil-to-grain translocation of Cd and relieve the oxidative stress caused by the toxic metal (Huang et al 2017a, b; Qingqing et al 2019)
Compared with rice plants cultivated in the lowCd soil, Cd contents in the stems, leaves, and spikes of the plants grown in the high-Cd soil, respectively, increased by 153.51%, 141.00%, and 46.69% at the flowering stage of rice, by 246.72%, 213.69%, and 87.93% at the mature stage, while the Cd content in brown rice increased by 91.47%
Summary
Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a staple food which is consumed by approximately 50% of the worldwide population (Sharma et al 2017). Soil contamination with heavy metals badly affects the growth and yield of crops, causing severe threats to grain security and human health through the food chain It was shown to have a protective effect on crops by reducing the toxicity of Cd (Qingqing et al 2019). Their study inadvertently provided a research framework for using Se to reduce Cd accumulation in grains; that is, by applying the mineral directly to soil (Uraguchi et al 2009). Numerous studies have shown that Se application in soil could significantly restrict the soil-to-grain translocation of Cd and relieve the oxidative stress caused by the toxic metal (Huang et al 2017a, b; Qingqing et al 2019). When a Se-based fertiliser is applied to soil, more
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