The relative contributions of root uptake and remobilization to the loading of Cd and As into rice grains: Implications in simultaneously controlling grain Cd and As accumulation using a segmented water management strategy

Cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As) are loaded into rice grain via two pathways: i) root uptake from the soil and then translocation to the grain, and ii) remobilization of Cd and As previously accumulated within the vegetative tissues to the grain. However, the relative contributions of the two pathways are not well understood in soil-grown rice plants. In this study, we used eight different water management regimes applied at different growth periods to manipulate the concentrations of Cd and As in porewater and then established a mathematical model to estimate the relative importance of the two pathways. Different water management regimes had dramatic and opposite effects on the solubility of Cd and As in soil, and their subsequent accumulation in both straw and grain. Water management applied at different growth periods had markedly different impacts on grain Cd and As concentrations. Water management during grain filling had a much greater impact on grain Cd than on grain As concentrations, whereas water treatment during the vegetative growth stage had a larger effect on grain As concentrations. Under the typical water management practice (i.e. flooding through the vegetative stage followed by drainage during grain filling), grain filling is the key period for the accumulation of Cd in the grain, with 98% of the grain Cd from root uptake during this period and the contribution of remobilization being very limited. In contrast, 95% of the grain As was remobilized from that accumulated within the plant prior to the grain filling, with the tillering, jointing, and heading period each contributing 20–40% of the grain As, whereas root uptake during grain filling contributed minor. These differences can be harnessed to design a segmented water management strategy to control grain Cd and As accumulation simultaneously. [Display omitted] •The contributions of root uptake and remobilization of Cd/As to rice grain were estimated.•98% of the grain Cd is from rice root uptake from porewater during grain filling.•95% of the grain As is the remobilization of As accumulated prior to grain filling.•Grain filling is the key period for grain Cd but the vegetative growth period is key for grain As.•A segmented water management can be tailored to control grain Cd and As simultaneously.