Foliar spraying with a mixture of transpiration inhibitor-rhamnolipid reduces the Cd content in rice grains

A field experiment was conducted to investigate the effectiveness and mechanisms of foliar spraying of transpiration inhibitor (TI) and different amounts of rhamnolipid (Rh) on the Cd content in rice grain. The contact angle of TI on the rice leaves was significantly reduced when it was combined with one critical micelle concentration of Rh. The Cd concentration in the rice grain in the presence of TI, TI + 0.5Rh, TI + 1Rh, and TI + 2Rh significantly decreased by 30.8 %, 41.7 %, 49.4 %, and 37.7 % respectively, compared with the control treatment. Specifically, the Cd content with TI + 1Rh was as low as 0.182 ± 0.009 mg/kg, which meets the national food safety requirements (< 0.2 mg/kg). The rice yield and plant biomass of TI + 1Rh were highest compared to the other treatments, possibly because of the alleviation of oxidative stress due to Cd. The hydroxyl and carboxyl concentrations in the soluble components in the leaf cells for the TI + 1Rh treatment were the highest compared to the other treatments. Our results demonstrated that the foliar spraying of TI + 1Rh is an efficient method to reduce Cd accumulation in rice grain. It holds potential for the future development of safe food production in soils polluted with Cd. [Display omitted] •Transpiration inhibitor-rhamnolipid (TI + Rh) can decrease Cd accumulation in the rice grain and increase rice growth.•The Rh enhanced the adhesiveness of TI on rice leaves by reducing the contact angle of TI on rice leaves.•TI+Rh increase the -OH and -COOH content of soluble components in the leaf cells, enhanced Cd fixation on the rice leaves.•Combined application of surfactant and TI has great potential for the alleviation of heavy metal pollution for crop.