Effects of soil amendments, foliar sprayings of silicon and selenium and their combinations on the reduction of cadmium accumulation in rice

Agricultural soil contamination by cadmium (Cd) is becoming one of the most serious environmental issues and public concerns. In this study, factorial arrangements of treatments were designed to explore the effects of two soil amendments, sodium sulfide-biofuel ash (SSBA) and lime (0.1%), and three foliar applications, silicon (Si, 2.5 mmol L), selenium (Se, 40 mg L), and their combination (SS), on Cd reduction in rice (Oryza sativa L.) in a pot experiment, which were then verified in a field experiment. Compared with the control without amendment but with spraying of deionized water, both SSBA and lime significantly reduced concentrations of CaCl2-extractable Cd in soil by 30%–39% and 31%–40% and Cd in brown rice by 44%–63% and 53%–72% in the pot and field experiments, respectively. Foliar Si, Se, and SS applications significantly reduced Cd accumulation in brown rice by 62%–64%, 72%–83%,and 39%–73%, respectively, increased rice grain yield, and improved antioxidant enzyme activities in rice leaves but with different trends in the pot and field experiments. Combinations of SSBA and lime with Si, Se, and SS had a non-significant synergistic effect on Cd reduction in brown rice compared to only foliar spraying or soil amendment in both pot and field experiments, although SSBA + Se and SSBA + Si reduced Cd concentration in brown rice by 16%–34% and 14%–24% compared to only foliar Si and Se and soil SSBA applications, respectively. Soil lime application and foliar Si spraying were the most cost-effective strategies to reduce Cd accumulation in brown rice in the field and pot experiments, respectively. Although soil amendments and foliar treatments were individually effective, their combinations failed to generate a significant synergistic reduction of Cd concentration in brown rice.