title: Genotypic and Environmental Variations in Grain Cadmium and Arsenic Concentrations Among a Panel of High Yielding Rice Cultivars.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Rice is a major dietary source of cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As) for populations consuming rice as the staple food. Excessive Cd and As accumulation in rice grain is of great concern worldwide, especially in South China where soil contamination with heavy metals and metalloids is widespread. It is important to reduce Cd and As accumulation in rice grain through selection and breeding of cultivars accumulating low levels of Cd or As.
  
  
  RESULTS
  To assess the genetic and environmental variations in the concentrations of Cd and As in rice grains, 471 locally adapted high-yielding rice cultivars were grown at three moderately contaminated sites in South China for two years. Cadmium and As concentrations in brown rice varied by 10 - 32 and 2.5 - 4 fold, respectively. Genotype (G), environment (E) and G x E interactions were highly significant factors explaining the variations. Brown rice Cd concentration was found to correlate positively with the heading date among different cultivars, whereas As concentration and heading date correlated negatively. There was a significant and negative correlation between grain Cd and As concentrations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Eight and 6 rice cultivars were identified as stable low accumulators of Cd and As, respectively, based on the multiple site and season trials. These cultivars are likely to be compliant with the grain Cd or As limits of the Chinese Food Safety Standards when grown in moderately contaminated paddy soils in South China.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China.
authors.forename: Guilan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.affiliation: Chinese National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou, 310006, China.
authors.forename: Guosheng
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China.
authors.forename: Zhong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China.
authors.forename: Hongping
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China.
authors.forename: Boxun
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China.
authors.forename: Zhu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China.
authors.forename: Yuping
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Youxian Agricultural Bureau of Hunan Province, Hunan, 412300, China.
authors.forename: Yuechuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China. fangjie.zhao@njau.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Fang-Jie
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0164-169X
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Zhao
keywords: Arsenic; Cadmium; Food Safety; Genotype; Rice