Accumulation and Distribution of Cadmium in Different Rice Cultivars

Cadmium (Cd) accumulation and distribution in rice plants were investigated with six rice cultivars under different soil Cd levels. The results showed that Cd accumulations in different organs were in the order: root stem > leaf > grain. The magnitudes of the differences among rice organs in Cd accumulations were larger for soil Cd treatments than for the control. The magnitudes of the variations among rice cultivars in Cd accumulations were the largest in grains, followed by roots, and the smallest in stems and leaves, and these were also larger for soil Cd treatments than for the control. Cd absorbed by rice plants were mostly accumulated in roots (about 80% for the control and more than 90% for soil Cd treatments), and only a very small portion was transferred into grains (about 2% for the control and less than 1% for soil Cd treatments). The magnitudes of the variations among rice cultivars in Cd distributions were larger for soil Cd treatments than for the control.