Accumulation and bioavailability of heavy metals in an acid soil and their uptake by paddy rice under continuous application of chicken and swine manure

•Livestock manure application decreased the available Cd and Pb in soil.•Livestock manure application reduced the Cd and Pb accumulation in rice grain.•Livestock manure application increased the available As in soil.•Livestock manure application had limited effect on As and Cr contents in rice grain.•Heavy metals accumulated in soils due to continuous livestock manure application. Heavy metal contamination of agricultural soils is a global concern, as it can cause the accumulation of heavy metals in food. In this study, a field experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of the continuous application of chicken or swine manure on the Pb, Cd, Cr and As bioavailability, fractionation, and accumulation in soil and uptake by rice plants. Results showed that chicken or swine manure significantly reduced the Cd and Pb contents in rice grain by 7.8–79.3% and 7.2–59.4%, respectively, with increasing application rates and number of years; the exchangeable Cd and Pb fractions, and the diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA)-extractable Cd and Pb in the soil were also decreased. Furthermore, the application of chicken or swine manure substantially increased the DTPA-extractable As and exchangeable As fractions in the soil but had limited effect on As accumulation in rice grain. No significant differences in the bioavailability in soil nor accumulation in the rice grain were found for Cr between the treatments. Therefore, livestock manure can be used as soil amendments to decrease Cd and Pb accumulation in rice grains, nevertheless, the potential risk of metal accumulation in soils caused by livestock manure application should be considered.