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Soil Factors Driving Uptake of Toxic Elements by Rice and Leafy Greens

Investigating Soil Characteristics

Soil Factors Driving Uptake of Toxic Elements by Rice & Leafy Greens

Investigating how soil characteristics influence arsenic, cadmium, and lead levels in key food crops is key.

Rice and leafy greens are healthy, widely consumed foods but are susceptible to contamination by soil-occurring toxic elements such as arsenic, cadmium, and lead.

Project Objectives
This project will build upon recent work funded by the Food Chemical Safety Committee that identified a critical need for a deeper understanding of the interrelationships among soil characteristics, mitigation options, and resulting levels of toxic elements in plants and commodities.

The Food and Chemical Safety Committee focuses on many different issues related to the safety of the food supply. To deliver output and impact, the committee works in subgroups focused on specific areas of food and chemical safety. See recent publications and upcoming events to learn more about the committee’s work.

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Research Approach

The project will address key questions around how soil concentrations of toxic elements are impacted by soil characteristics to affect potential transfer to crops. It will also investigate the distribution and variability of these elements in specific crops across growing regions.

Project Investigators

Matt Limmer, PhD

University of Delaware

Angela Seyfferth, PhD

Arizona State University

Open Science

Aligned with IAFNS’ commitment to open science practices, this project has been added to the IAFNS Collection on the Open Science Framework. Note: this link redirects you to an external website.

Publications

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Concentrations of Cadmium and Arsenic Species in Rice from Production-Scale Fields in Arkansas under Variable Water Management

Agricultural and Environmental Letters, 2026

Rice accumulates arsenic when grown under flooded conditions; therefore, alternative water management strategies have shown promise in decreasing grain arsenic. This paper analyzes polished white rice grain from 103 field-years of production for arsenic and cadmium.

Read more about Concentrations of Cadmium and Arsenic Species in Rice from Production-Scale Fields in Arkansas under Variable Water Management

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