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Fate of irrigation-water arsenic in rice soils of Bangladesh

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Abstract

An experiment involving four soils and three irrigation-water As concentrations was conducted in undisturbed soil columns during 2004–2006, with Boro (winter dry-season, flood-irrigated rice, using As-contaminated water for irrigation), T. Aman (summer monsoon, rain-fed flooded rice), Boro, and T. Aman rice grown in sequence, to examine the fate of added As from irrigation water during flooded rice culture. The As content in the column leachate represented only 1.17–5.08% of the total applied As, indicating the substantial build-up of soil As. Most of the irrigation-applied As remained in the zone of maximum root activity at the top 0–15 cm of soil. Increased As concentrations in soil from the application of As-contaminated water resulted in substantially reduced rice-grain yields and increased As concentrations in rice grain and straw, indicating the potential hazards of continued irrigation with As-contaminated water to sustainable rice production and food security in South Asia.

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Acknowledgment

Funding from the US-AID Bangladesh mission for this work is gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Soil Science, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, 1207, Bangladesh

    M. Asaduzzaman Khan

  2. Department of Soil Science, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, 2202, Bangladesh

    M. Rafiqul Islam & M. Jahiruddin

  3. CIMMYT Bangladesh, P.O. Box 6057, Dhaka, 1212, Bangladesh

    G. M. Panaullah

  4. Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA

    John M. Duxbury

  5. Soil and Crop Sciences Department, Texas A & M University, 370 Olsen Blvd., College Station, TX, 77843-2474, USA

    Richard H. Loeppert

Authors
  1. M. Asaduzzaman Khan
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  2. M. Rafiqul Islam
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  3. G. M. Panaullah
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  4. John M. Duxbury
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  5. M. Jahiruddin
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  6. Richard H. Loeppert
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Richard H. Loeppert.

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Responsible Editor: Henk Schat.

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Khan, M.A., Islam, M.R., Panaullah, G.M. et al. Fate of irrigation-water arsenic in rice soils of Bangladesh. Plant Soil 322, 263–277 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-009-9914-3

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