Safe Production Of Rice Research Articles

The determination of regulating thresholds of soil pH under different cadmium stresses using a predictive model for rice safe production.

Regulating soil pH becomes a crucial practice to alleviate cadmium (Cd) contamination. However, little is known about the threshold of soil pH for the safe production of rice at various soil Cd levels. In this paper, the relationships between soil pH values and the contents of available Cd extracted by calcium chloride (CaCl2-Cd) in neutral and acidic soils were studied by mandatory acidification with H+ addition or neutralization with lime at various soil Cd levels. The results showed that the soil CaCl2-Cd contents dramatically decreased with increasing soil pH, and a logarithmic function could well describe the relations of soil CaCl2-Cd contents and soil pH at constant total Cd (CaCl2-Cd model). The Cd contents in rice grain (grain-Cd) in relation to soil CaCl2-Cd was further established through modified rice pot experiments. A model for the prediction of Cd content in rice grains (grain-Cd model) was set up, though which the grain-Cd content could be predicted based on soil pH and total Cd content. 122 data pairs of rice grain-Cd contents obtained at various soil total Cd contents and pH were employed from the literature to verify the reliability of the established model, approximately 95.08% of those data favorably located within the 1:1 line ± 0.5 unit area of the grain-Cd model. Notably, this model can be applied to determine the thresholds of soil pH at a specific Cd pollution level. For instance, to achieve a rice grain-Cd contents matching the Chinese national food safety limit of 0.2mgkg-1, the soil pH thresholds were estimated to be 5.05, 5.70, and 6.02 at soil Cd contents of 0.3, 0.6, and 0.8mgkg-1, respectively. In addition, the established model can also be used to estimate the health risk from rice in broad regions with various soil pH values and Cd contents.

Multi-Component Passivators Regulate Heavy Metal Accumulation in Paddy Soil and Rice: A Three-Site Field Experiment in South China.

To fulfill sustainability principles, a three-site field experiment was conducted to screen suitably mixed passivators from lime + biochar (L + C, 9000 kgha−1 with a rate of 1:1) and lime + biochar + sepiolite (L + C + S, 9000 kg ha−1 with a rate of 1:1:1), in Yuecheng (YC), Zhuji (ZJ), and Fuyang (FY), where there are typical contaminated soils, in South China. Treated with passivators in soil, DTPA-extractable Cd, Cr and Pb in soil were decreased by 9.87–26.3%, 37.2–67.5%, and 19.0–54.2%, respectively; Cd, Cr, and Pb in rice were decreased by 85.9–91.5%, 40.0–76.5%, and 16.4–45.4%, respectively; and these were followed by slightly higher efficacy of L + C + S than L + C. The differences between L + C and L + C + S mainly lie in soil microbial communities, enzymes, and fertility. In YC, treatment with L + C + S increased microbial carbon and activities of urease (EC3.5.1.5) and phosphatase (EC3.1.3.1) by 21.0%, 85.5%, and 22.3%; while treatment with L + C decreased microbial carbon and activities of phosphatase and sucrose (EC3.2.1.26) by 1.31%, 34.9%, and 43.4%, respectively. Moreover, the treatment of FY soils with L + C + S increased microbial carbon and activities of urease, phosphatase, and sucrase by 35.4%, 41.6%, 27.9%, and 7.37%; and L + C treatment only increased the microbial carbon and the activity of phosphatase by 3.14% and 30.3%, respectively. Furthermore, the organic matter and available nitrogen were also increased by 8.8–19.0% and 7.4–14.6% with L + C + S treatments, respectively. These suggested that the combination of L + C + S stimulated the growth of soil microbial communities and increased the activity of soil enzymes. Therefore, the L + C + S strategy can be a practical and effective measure for safe rice production as it was more suitable for the remediation of heavy metals in our experimental sites.

Toxic Metals in a Paddy Field System: A Review.

The threat of toxic metals to food security and human health has become a high-priority issue in recent decades. As the world’s main food crop source, the safe cultivation of rice has been the focus of much research, particularly the restoration of toxic metals in paddy fields. Therefore, in this paper, we focus on the effects of toxic metals on rice, as well as the removal or repair methods of toxic metals in paddy fields. We also provide a detailed discussion of the sources and monitoring methods of toxic metals pollution, the current toxic metal removal, and remediation methods in paddy fields. Finally, several important research issues related to toxic metals in paddy field systems are proposed for future work. The review has an important guiding role for the future of heavy metal remediation in paddy fields, safe production of rice, green ecological fish culture, and human food security and health.

Effects of foliar applications of Brassinolide and Selenium on the accumulation of Arsenic and Cadmium in rice grains and an assessment of their health risk

Arsenic and cadmium pose a potential health risk to human beings via rice grain consumption. In the current study, a pot experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of Br (5 mM and 20 mM) and Se (1 mM) at rice tillering and filling stages on Cd and As accumulation in rice grain and their health risk indices. The results showed that Br or Se applications at different stages of rice improved the photosynthesis, reduce MDA content in flag leaves by 17.41%–38.65%, increased rice biomass and grain yield by 10.50%–29.94% and 10.50%–36.56%, and enhanced grain N and P uptake by 3.25%–34.90%, and 22.98%-72.05%, respectively. Applications of Br and Se effectively decreased Cd and As concentration in rice grain by 31.74%–86.97% and 16.42%–81.13% respectively. Compared to the individual treatment, combined 20 mM Br and 1 mM Se at the filling stage showed the lowest accumulation of As (0.149 mg·kg−1) and Cd (0.105 mg·kg−1) in grain, and its health risk index was below the acceptable limits (HRI < 1). This implies that application of Br and Se at the filling stage is a promising strategy for the safe production of rice in As and Cd co-contaminated regions.

Study on the identification of resistance of rice blast based on near infrared spectroscopy

Rice Blast is the most devastating rice disease which poses a serious threat to the safe production of rice. The most effective way to prevent rice blast is to cultivate the rice varieties that have resistance to the disease, however, traditional resistance testing requires professional personnel, a tedious process, long determination time and high cost. In order to quickly identify different resistant rice seeds which are difficult to distinguish with the naked eye, a rapid non-destructive identification method based on Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) was proposed. Four different types of resistant rice seeds (high resistance, high susceptibility, susceptibility and resistance) came from in HeiLongjiang province of China were selected as the research objects. A total of 240 spectral data (60 from each variety) were scanned by the NIR spectrometer. The BP neural network (BP), Support Vector Machines (SVM), Probabilistic Neural Network (PNN) models were established based on the original spectral data in the full-spectrum (11520–4000 cm−1). Among all, Raw-BP has the best identification accuracy which reaches 100% with an iteration time of 869 s. After extracting the feature wavelengths by successive projections algorithm (SPA) on the spectral data, Raw-SPA-BP, Raw-SPA-SVM and Raw-SPA-PNN models were established. The accuracy of these three models didn’t improve. But the iteration time of the SPA-BP model was shortened to 791 s. Another group of BP, SVM, and PNN models were established after using different spectral pretreatment methods and the SPA feature extraction. After Multivariate Scatter Correction (MSC), the accuracy of the MSC-SPA-BP model was still 100% and the iteration time was shortened to 840 s, which is 1/30 of the time at which the original data model was formed. The accuracy of the MSC-SPA-PNN model increased from 60% to 90% and the accuracy of the MSC-SPA-SVM model increased from 60% to 85%. Based on the comparison analysis of the models mentioned above, a best neural network identification model of the MSC-SPA-BP with 513 inputs, 8 hidden layers and 4 outputs was established. Its classification accuracy reached 100% with an iteration time of 29 s, indicating that the MSC-SPA-BP model can completely achieve identification of four different resistant rice seeds. Therefore, the proposed method of the BP neural network identification model based on NIRS can be fully applied to the non-destructive rapid identification of rice seeds. Meanwhile, it provides a reference for the rapid identification of other crop seeds.

The intercropping and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus decrease Cd accumulation in upland rice and improve phytoremediation of Cd-contaminated soil by Sphagneticola calendulacea (L.) Pruski

Little is known about the impact of the combined application of intercropping and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) on the plant growth and Cd accumulation in the two intercropped plants. A greenhouse pot experiment was performed to investigate the effects of intercropping (IC) and AMF-Glomus versiforme (GV) on the growth, photosynthesis, Cd accumulation and antioxidant activities in the two intercropped plants-upland rice and Cd hyperaccumulator Sphagneticola calendulacea (L.) Pruski in the soils added with 5 mg Cd kg−1. It was found that the GV inoculation and the combined treatment of IC and GV (IC + GV) significantly (p < 0.05) increased the biomasses and the P contents of upland rice and S. calendulacea. In addition, the Cd concentrations and uptakes of plants in IC, GV and IC + GV treatments were significantly (p < 0.05) dropped in upland rice but increased in S. calendulacea compared with the monocropping control, and the compound treatment showed better effect on decreasing Cd accumulation in upland rice (especially grains) and increasing Cd uptake by S. calendulacea compared with the single intercropping or AMF treatment. Moreover, IC, GV and IC + GV treatments significantly (p < 0.05) improved the net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance and transpiration rate of the two intercropped plants. Finally, IC, GV and IC + GV treatments all significantly increased the catalase activities and total antioxidant capacities, while decreased the malondialdehyde contents in upland rice and S. calendulacea. The present work could provide a feasible strategy for safe production of upland rice and phytoremediation of Cd contaminated soils.

Integrating bioavailability and aging in the criteria derivation of cadmium for the safe production of rice in paddy soils

It is significant to derive an appropriate cadmium (Cd) threshold for the rice to ensure that the Cd concentration of rice grains meets the food safety standards. In the present study, soil thresholds for Cd were derived using the method of species sensitivity distribution based on aging time, cultivars, and soil properties. Dataset from thirty-nine rice cultivars planted in different soils published in literature of five bibliographic databases were screened using designated search strings to explore their differences in Cd accumulation capacity in paddy soil. The empirical soil-plant transfer model was used to normalize the bioaccumulation data. Later, the soil Cd concentration for protecting 95% (HC5) of the cultivars was calculated using species sensitivity distribution curves fitted by the Burr III function. The soil Cd criteria derived from the added approach for risk assessment were proposed as continuous criteria based on the combination of soil pH and organic carbon in soil. Soil Cd criteria ranged from 0.34 to 1.18 mg/kg. The prediction model for HC5 was applied to field experimental data to validate its validity and applicability. The predicted Cd thresholds were less than the field experiment Cd thresholds. In conclusion, this study provided valuable and scientific bases for setting soil Cd criteria for paddy soils.

A combined management scheme to simultaneously mitigate As and Cd concentrations in rice cultivated in contaminated paddy soil

Paddy soils in southern China are heavily co-polluted by arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd). The accumulation of these contaminants in rice grains may pose a high health risk. We evaluated the impact of adjusted water management practice (i.e., conventional irrigation and aerobic treatment after heading stage) and the application of two immobilization agents (i.e., CaO and Fe2O3) on the accumulation of As and Cd in rice grains of three rice varieties (i.e., Jinyou-463, Jinyou-268, and Mabayouzhan). The different schemes were tested via conducting a field experiment in paddy soil in Shaoguan, Guangdong Province, China. The results showed that the combined scheme (selecting Jinyou-268, aerobic water management after the heading stage, and 0.09% CaO and 0.5% Fe2O3 amendments) exhibited the best performance in the reduction of As and Cd accumulation in rice grains. This combined scheme decreased the grain As concentration by 26.19% and maintained the Cd at a low level (0.056 mg/kg) as compared to the use of local conventional irrigation patterns. Moreover, health risk assessment demonstrated that by applying the optimal scheme, neither As nor Cd content in rice had carcinogenic risk. However, the grain As remains at a high non-carcinogenic risk. We suggest that future field study design should fully incorporate the uncertainty of the natural environment to make the research conclusions more feasible for popularization and utilization. This study demonstrated an approach of utilizing the synergy effects of various measures for safe rice production in fields subjected to As and Cd contaminations.

A new strategy using nanoscale zero-valent iron to simultaneously promote remediation and safe crop production in contaminated soil.

Novel versatile nanomaterials may facilitate strategies for simultaneous soil remediation and agricultural production, but a thorough and mechanistic assessment of efficacy and safety is needed. We have established a new soil remediation strategy using nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) coupled with safe rice production in paddy soil contaminated with pentachlorophenol (PCP). In comparison with rice cultivation in contaminated soil with 100 mg PCP per kg soil but without nZVI, the addition of 100 mg nZVI per kg soil increased grain yield by 47.1-55.0%, decreased grain PCP content by 83.6-86.2% and increased the soil PCP removal rate from 49.9 to 83.9-89.0%. The specific role of nZVI-derived root iron plaque formation in the safe production of rice has been elucidated, and the synergistic effect of nZVI treatment and rice cultivation identified in the nZVI-facilitated rhizosphere microbial degradation of PCP. This work opens a new strategy for the application of nanomaterials in soil remediation that could simultaneously enable safe crop production in contaminated lands.

Methyl jasmonate mitigates high selenium damage of rice via altering antioxidant capacity, selenium transportation and gene expression

Beneficial effects of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) on plants under different abiotic conditions have long been demonstrated. This study aimed to figure out how exogenous MeJA mitigated high-Se toxicity in rice from plant physiology and gene express perspective to provide the theory and technique for safe production of Se-rich rice. The results showed that low concentrations of MeJA at 0.1–1.0 μM inhibited high-Se induced nonreversible toxicity by enhancing antioxidant-system and reducing H2O2 and MDA content in rice seedlings. In comparison with control, addition of low concentrations of MeJA at 0.1–1.0 μM reduced the Se content in roots by 13.6–48.8% and in shoots by 52.6–59.9%. Besides, lower concentrations of MeJA decreased the Se(IV) transformation to SeCys and SeMet. The qRT-PCR analysis showed that application of low concentration of MeJA down-regulated the gene expression of OsNIP2;1, and OsPT2 in roots and OsNIP2;1, OsPT2, OsSBP1, and OsCS in shoots, which inhibited Se absorption. However, high concentrations of MeJA at 2.5–5.0 μM decreased antioxidant capacity and increased H2O2 and MDA content in rice seedlings. The results suggested that MeJA at 0.1–1.0 μM can be used to mitigate high-Se toxicity in rice production. This research augments the knowledge for future utilization of MeJA in down-regulating Se levels in crops.

Methanogenesis Is an Important Process in Controlling MeHg Concentration in Rice Paddy Soils Affected by Mining Activities.

Rice paddies are agricultural sites of special concern because the potent toxin methylmercury (MeHg), produced in rice paddy soils, accumulates in rice grains. MeHg cycling is mostly controlled by microbes but their importance in MeHg production and degradation in paddy soils and across a Hg concentration gradient remains unclear. Here we used surface and rhizosphere soil samples in a series of incubation experiments in combination with stable isotope tracers to investigate the relative importance of different microbial groups on MeHg production and degradation across a Hg contamination gradient. We showed that sulfate reduction was the main driver of MeHg formation and concentration at control sites, and that methanogenesis had an important and complex role in MeHg cycling as Hg concentrations increased. The inhibition of methanogenesis at the mining sites led to an increase in MeHg production up to 16.6-fold and a decrease in MeHg degradation by up to 77%, suggesting that methanogenesis is associated with MeHg degradation as Hg concentrations increased. This study broadens our understanding of the roles of microbes in MeHg cycling and highlights methanogenesis as a key control of MeHg concentrations in rice paddies, offering the potential for mitigation of Hg contamination and for the safe production of rice in Hg-contaminated areas.

Effects and Mechanism of Continuous Liming on Cadmium Immobilization and Uptake by Rice Grown on Acid Paddy Soils

Lime application is the most effective agricultural practice for the reduction of cadmium (Cd) bioavailability in acid soils. This study was conducted to investigate the impact of continuous liming across five consecutive growing seasons on the remediation of Cd in acid paddy soils, as well as rice yield. Two rice cultivars, i.e., Zhuliangyou 819 and Xiangwanxian 12, were cultivated in Cd-contaminated paddy soil for five consecutive growing seasons from 2014 to 2018. The investigated lime levels were 0, 450, 900, 1350, 1800, 2250, 3000, and 3750 kg ha−1. Lime application significantly increased rice yield, soil pH, exchangeable soil Ca2+, and rice calcium (Ca) contents; besides, it reduced soil and rice Cd contents. The application of lime at the rate of 1350–2250 kg ha−1 significantly increased rice yield. Under continuous liming, rice yield obviously increased first and then decreased with the cumulative application of lime. The application of a cumulative lime amount of 18,000 kg ha−1 was identified as the critical transition point of soil pH, soil Cd, and rice Cd content. Application of lime up to or above 3000 kg ha−1 per season reduced Cd content in brown rice below 0.20 mg kg−1. The results suggest that the reduction in effective Cd content might be a result of the combined action of exchangeable soil Ca2+ and soil pH rather than being a direct effect of Ca2+. Therefore, acid Cd-contaminated paddy fields can realize the safe production of rice by the continuous application of an appropriate amount of lime.

Si-Ca-K-Mg amendment reduces the phytoavailability and transfer of Cd from acidic soil to rice grain.

Cadmium (Cd) contamination in the soil-rice chain is the major threat to human health in China. It is very necessary to lower Cd phytoavailability in contaminated soils and reduce Cd transfer from soil to rice for food safety. This study applied the Si-Ca-K-Mg amendment (SCKM) to immobilize Cd in acidic soils and then reduce its accumulation in rice grain (Oryza sativa L.). Two agricultural soils (Alfisol and Ultisol) collected from Eastern China were treated with three levels of Cd concentration (0, 0.4, and 2.0 mg/kg), respectively, for pot experiment. The phytoavailability and chemical forms of Cd in two soils were determined using ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and the European Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) extraction procedures. At 2.0 mg Cd/kg-treated soils, application of SCKM amendment increased the yield of rice grain by 10-17% for Alfisol and 14-39% for Ultisol, and reduced the concentrations of EDTA-extractable Cd by 6-27% for Alfisol and 5-25% for Ultisol, compared with treatment without amendment. SCKM amendment significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the bioconcentration factor (BCF) of Cd in root, straw, and grain of rice. Compared with treatment without amendment, the application of amendments decreased the Cd concentrations of rice grains by 35-76% for Alfisol and 31-72% for Ultisol, respectively. The BCR sequential extraction revealed that amendment reduced acid soluble Cd fraction by 6.2-13.6% for Alfisol and 6.1-13.5% for Ultisol, respectively, indicating that amendment could effectively transform the highly phytoavailable Cd into a more stable form. SCKM amendment addition significantly (p < 0.05) increased soil pH and exchangeable K+, and decreased exchangeable Al3+ contents in both soils. Our results demonstrated that SCKM amendment was effective in reducing the phytoavailability and transfer of Cd in soil-rice system, and ameliorating soil acidity. The SCKM amendment had greater potential as a low-cost and friendly environmentally amendment for safe production of rice in Cd-contaminated soils.

Predicting accumulation of Cd in rice (Oryza sativa L.) and soil threshold concentration of Cd for rice safe production

Rice contamination by cadmium (Cd) poses a serious threat to human health, which has attracted widespread concerns in China. It is imperative to determine major soil factors influencing the accumulation of Cd in rice and develop prediction models to derive the threshold concentration of Cd in soil for rice food safety. In this study, the bioavailability, accumulation, and transfer of Cd in the 18 typical paddy soil-rice systems with a wide range of soil properties was investigated using pot experiments. The regression-based models incorporated with total or extractable Cd and soil properties were constructed to predict Cd content of rice grain. Pot experimental results indicated that rice showed a high accumulation potential for Cd, while rice grains grown in acid soils displayed larger Cd contents than those in neutral and alkaline soils. The pH and MnO content were major soil factors influencing the Cd accumulation of rice. Multiple regression models based on the total Cd, extractable Cd, pH, and MnO content in soils could well describe the Cd content in rice grain. Measured Cd content of rice grains from field samples demonstrated that the empirical models could quantitatively predict the Cd content of rice grains. The threshold concentrations of Cd in soils for rice food safety could be back-calculated by both EDTA-extractable and total Cd contents in soils. The EDTA-extractable Cd in soils could use as an indication to derive the threshold concentrations of Cd for rice food safety. In conclusions, multiple regression models proved reliable and practical in predicting Cd accumulation in rice grain. These empirical models could well predict the content of Cd in rice grain and deduce soil Cd threshold criteria. These results could help to quantitatively evaluate the health risk of Cd accumulation in rice crop and provide a useful reference for safe production of rice.

Evaluation of cadmium (Cd) transfer from paddy soil to rice (Oryza sativa L.) using DGT in comparison with conventional chemical methods: derivation of models to predict Cd accumulation in rice grains.

The consumption of rice contaminated with soil cadmium (Cd) threatens human health. It is essential to ensure the production of rice that meets food quality standards. Therefore, a large-scale field survey was conducted in Zhejiang province, southeastern China, to investigate the relationship between Cd accumulation in rice grains and Cd bioavailability in soil, and thus to establish a model to predict Cd contents in rice grains based on soil properties. For this purpose, a total of 156 paired rice and soil samples were collected. Pearson's correlation analysis revealed that Cd measurements obtained by diffusive gradient in thin films (DGT) had a higher correlation (r = 0.818, p < 0.001) with the Cd in rice grains as compared to the Cd measured by the DTPA, CaCl2, EDTA, and HCl extraction methods, which indicated that the DGT technique was a reliable method for the assessment of Cd bioavailability in soils. In addition, among the four extraction methods, the DTPA-extractable Cd showed the highest correlation with the Cd contents in rice grains. Therefore, we developed two predictive models (modelDGT and modelDTPA) to predict Cd levels in rice grains via Cubist multivariate mixed linear regression, using "soil DGT-measured Cd, pH, and oxide contents of Ca, Si, and Fe" or "soil DTPA-extractable Cd, pH, OM, and oxide contents of Ca and Fe" as explanatory variables, respectively. The overall modelDGT and modelDTPA had R2 values of 0.95 and 0.93, respectively, and relative error values of 0.30 and 0.33, respectively. Simple correlation analysis showed direct and close relationships between the measured Cd in rice grains and the Cd concentrations predicted by the Cubist modelDGT and modelDTPA, with R2 values of 0.979 and 0.922, respectively. Therefore, Cd levels in rice grains could be predicted very well based on the two prediction models, and thus, the two models derived in this study are effective in identifying soils in which the Cd in rice grains will exceed food safety standards, thereby helping to ensure safe rice production.

The characterization of arsenic biotransformation microbes in paddy soil after straw biochar and straw amendments

Straw biochar and straw application to paddy soil dramatically altered arsenic (As) biogeochemical cycling in soil-rice system, but it remains unknown how As biotransformation microbes (ABMs) contribute to these processes. In this study, rice pot experiments combining terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis and clone library were performed to characterize ABMs. Through linear discriminant analysis (LDA) effect size (LEfSe) and correlation analysis, results revealed that arrA-harbouring iron-reducing bacteria (e.g., Geobacter and Shewanella) and arsC-harbouring Gammaproteobacteria (e.g., fermentative hydrogen-producing and lignin-degrading microorganisms) potentially mediated arsenate [As(V)] reduction under biochar and straw amendments, respectively. Methanogens and sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) carrying arsM gene might regulate methylated As concentration in soil-rice system. Network analysis demonstrated that the association among ABMs in rhizosphere was significantly stronger than that in bulk soil. Arsenite [As(III)] methylators carrying arsM gene exhibited much stronger co-occurrence pattern with arsC-harbouring As(V) reducers than with arrA-harbouring As(V) reducers. This study would broaden our insights for the dramatic variation of As biogeochemical cycling in soil-rice system after straw biochar and straw amendments through the activities of ABMs, which could contribute to the safe rice production and high rice yield in As-contaminated fields.

Prediction models for rice cadmium accumulation in Chinese paddy fields and the implications in deducing soil thresholds based on food safety standards

Deducing soil cadmium (Cd) safety thresholds should be different for rice cultivars with different capacities to accumulate Cd to guarantee safe rice production in China. This study developed prediction models based on soil properties and deduced soil safety thresholds for Cd translocation from thirty-three paddy soils by two contrasting rice cultivars, Yelicanghua (high Cd accumulator, HCd) and Longhuamaohu (low Cd accumulator, LCd). A total of 330 paired field validation samples were used to examine the accuracy of prediction models and soil safety thresholds. The average soil Cd concentration was 0.26 (range 0.057–0.72) mg kg−1. The average brown rice Cd concentrations were 0.14 (0.043–0.55) mg kg−1 in HCd and 0.024 (0.007–0.15) mg kg−1 in LCd in 2017, with corresponding values of 0.16 (0.016–0.66) and 0.027 (0.009–0.10) mg kg−1 in 2018. Soil total Cd and pH were the two most important variables exhibiting direct effects on Cd concentrations in HCd, explaining 66% of the variance across the 33 soils. Soil total Cd, pH and organic carbon (OC) were the three most important variables in LCd, explaining 75% of the variance. Soil safety thresholds ranged from 0.27 to 1.00 mg kg−1 for HCd and from 4.52 to 46.9 mg kg−1 for LCd with pH ranging from 4.5 to 8.0. The validation results suggest ∼60% for HCd or the current soil quality standard (SQS) and 88% for LCd of the validation samples were suitable to meet the food quality standard (FQS), with 6.4% and 12%, respectively, of the validation soils unsuitable for rice cultivation. The current Chinese SQS is too strict for LCd which may be grown safely in moderately polluted soils and the derivation of soil thresholds should therefore consider the abilities of different cultivars to accumulate Cd.

The effect of sepiolite application on rice Cd uptake – A two-year field study in Southern China

Sepiolite (SEP) is a clay mineral with great potential to stabilize soil heavy metals. A two-year field experiment was conducted to explore the optimum use of SEP to immobilize soil Cd and to promote the consumption safety of rice grown in a typical paddy field in Southern China. SEP was applied once or twice over the two-year study at three levels (0.1, 0.5, and 1%, w/w) before rice planting. The results showed that SEP effectively reduced rice grain Cd concentrations by 47–49% in the first year and by 44–50% in the second year due to the residue effect. Application of SEP for two consecutive years reduced the rice grain Cd concentration by up to 75%, achieving a safe level (<0.2 mg kg−1). SEP also reduced Zn concentrations in rice grains (by 6–10%), while the Cd/Zn ratios of rice grains were decreased by 24–72% over the two years, implying it was much safer for consumption. SEP significantly increased the soil pH (0.9–1.8 units) and available phosphorus, and it reduced the soil available Cd (by 20–95%) and Zn concentrations (by 30–99%). In brief, SEP effectively stabilized soil Cd and reduced uptake by rice; the effect was dose-dependent and 0.5% (w/w) was optimum in the present study. The main mechanism of SEP to stabilize soil Cd is the increase in soil pH analogous to liming. This study shows that SEP application can be an efficient way to remediate Cd contaminated rice paddies and fulfill the goal of safe production of rice and thereby reduce the health risks associated with consuming rice.

A novel family of PLAC8 motif-containing/PCR genes mediates Cd tolerance and Cd accumulation in rice

BackgroundCd is one of the highly toxic heavy metals to most organisms, including humans and plants, and Cd-contaminated rice from China has become a global food safety issue. The early prediction of OsPCR (the plant cadmium resistance protein) which contained a PLAC8 domain was related with the accumulation of Cd in rice. To further understand the biological function of the OsPCR genes on the Cd tolerance and Cd accumulation in rice, we used a low grain-Cd-accumulating rice (xiushui 11) and a high grain-Cd-accumulating rice (xiushui 110) varieties to analyze the relationship between the expression levels of the two most abundant expression genes (OsPCR1 and OsPCR3) and the Cd concentrations in different tissues at different growth periods during Cd stress, and transgenic experiments of OsPCR1 and OsPCR3 were carried out.ResultsOsPCR1 and OsPCR3 were closely related with Cd accumulation. Overexpression of OsPCR1 and OsPCR3 could not only increase the Cd tolerance, but also decrease the Cd accumulation obviously in different parts of the transgenic rice plants (especially in the rice grains), while the RNAi expression plants showed the opposite results.ConclusionsThese results indicate that OsPCR1 and OsPCR3 play critical roles in Cd accumulation in rice, which provides a theoretical basis for the safe production of rice.

Safe Utilization of Paddy Soils Lightly Polluted with Cadmium in Western Chongqing

The western Chongqing region is the main grain-producing area in Chongqing. This region's soils are characterized by light-to-moderate cadmium (Cd) pollution. Two types of typical paddy soils in this area (acidic and calcareous purple soils) were selected for the development of safe rice production techniques using in situ field remediation experiments. These involved a low-Cd-accumulating rice variety (Changliangyou 772) grown either alone or in combination with heavy metal passivators (silicon-calcium fertilizer, iron powder, biochar, and straw organic fertilizer). The results showed that:① all of the passivators except for the Fe powder increased rice yields from both types of soils. Straw organic fertilizer showed the best results for the acidic purple paddy soil, with a rice-yield increase of 47.43%, while biochar performed best for the calcareous paddy soil, increasing yields by 23.95%; ② The low-accumulation rice variety alone could not meet the requirements of safe rice production in the acid purple paddy soil (pH=4.75); however, combined the with passivators (with the exception of the silicon-calcium fertilizer), Cd content in rice grains was reduced by 14.81%-54.88% to within the national safe food standard for rice (0.2 mg·kg-1, GB 2762-2017). The Cd content of rice grains varied between 0.012 and 0.030 mg·kg-1 in the calcareous purple paddy soil (pH=7.77), under various treatments, which was far lower than the safety standard. The application of passivators (with the exception of biomass charcoal) further reduced the Cd content of rice by 26.67%-59.00% nevertheless; ③ The use of passivators altered Cd transportation and distribution in the rice plant. Taking the acidic soil as an example, silicon-calcium fertilizer inhibited the transport of Cd from the stems to the rice grains, Fe powder and biochar reduced the enrichment of Cd in roots and inhibited the transport of Cd from the stems to the rice grains, and straw organic fertilizer inhibited the transport of Cd from the roots to the stems; ④ The application of passivators promoted the transformation of soil Cd from labile forms into residual form, reduced the bioavailability of Cd in the soil, and, thus, reduced the accumulation of Cd in the rice plants. In the acidic soil, biochar showed the best effect, while straw organic fertilizer performed best in calcareous soils. ⑤ Silicon-calcium fertilizer and straw organic fertilizer significantly increased the pH and organic matter content of acid soils. Consequently, the soil available Cd content decreased by 39.45% and 34.69%, respectively, while no such effects were observed for the calcareous soil.