EFFECTS OF ARSENIC ON GROWTH, YIELD AND NUTRIENTS CONTENT OF BRRI dhan29 AND Binadhan-8

Abstract

The experiment was conducted in the net house and the Laboratory of Agro-Environmental Chemistry laboratory of the Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka-1207 and Department of Agricultural Chemistry, BAU during the Boro season (December-June) of the year 2014-15 to evaluate the effects of arsenic on growth, yield and nutrients content of two different Boro rice cultivars. The two factorial experiment was laid out in a CRD design with three replications. Factor A: two varieties [V ii

1 - BRRI dhan29 and V - Binadhan-8] and Factor B: different arsenic doses [As 0 = No arsenic applied, As =10 ppm As, As 2 =20 ppm As, As 3 =40 ppm As, As 4 =60 ppm As, As =80 ppm As]. Arsenic (As) was added from Sodium Arsenate (Na 2 HAsO 4 .7H 2 5 O). However, Binadhan-8 showed better performance than BRRI dhan29. Treatment with no arsenic (As gave higher results in most growth, yield and yield related parameters. In case of interaction, Binadhan-8 and the treatment As 0) gave longer panicle, higher number of filled grains panicle -1 , 1000-grain weight, grain yield and straw yield. K, Na, and As content in grain showed statistically significant difference due to the varietal effect in most cases except Cu. The treatment As gave higher Na and Cu content whereas the lowest from As 3 .

1 The maximum As content in grain, straw and root was found in As 5 whereas the minimum from As treatment. In interaction, the maximum As content in grain, straw and root was found in V 1 As 5 0 whereas the minimum As content in grain, straw and root was observed from V 2 As treatment. Arsenic contamination significantly decreased almost all the growth, yield contributing character and nutrient contents. However, the effect was quite varied with the rice varieties. The As concentration in grain, straw and root of these rice varieties increased with increasing rate of As addition. Binadhan-8 had the lowest As concentration and BRRI dhan29 showed the highest As concentration in grain, straw and root. Therefore, it suggests that arsenic reduces the yield of rice. Therefore it is needed to screen out tolerant or resistant varieties as well as find any possible ways to obliterate arsenic uptake in rice.