H2O2 pretreated rice seedlings specifically reduces arsenate not arsenite: difference in nutrient uptake and antioxidant defense response in a contrasting pair of rice cultivars

The study investigated the reduction in metalloid uptake at equimolar concentrations (~53.3 μM) of As(III) and As(V) in contrasting pair of rice seedlings by pretreating with H2O2 (1.0 μM) and SA (1.0 mM). Results obtained from the contrasting pair (arsenic tolerant vs. sensitive) of rice seedlings (cv. Pant Dhan 11 and MTU 7029, respectively) shows that pretreatment of H2O2 and H2O2 + SA reduces As(V) uptake significantly in both the cultivars, while no reduction in the As(III) uptake. The higher growth inhibition, higher H2O2 and TBARS content in sensitive cultivar against As(III) and As(V) treatments along with higher As accumulation (~1.2 mg g−1 dw) than in cv. P11, unravels the fundamental difference in the response between the sensitive and tolerant cultivar. In the H2O2 pretreated plants, the translocation of As increased in tolerant cultivar against AsIII, whereas, it decreased in sensitive cultivar both against AsIII and AsV. In both the cultivars translocation of Mn increased in the H2O2 pretreated plants against As(III), whereas, the translocation of Cu increased against As(V). In tolerant cultivar the translocation of Fe increased against As(V) with H2O2 pretreatment whereas, it decreased in the sensitive cultivar. In both the cultivars, Zn translocation increased against As(III) and decreased against As(V). The higher level of H2O2 and SOD (EC 1.15.1.1) activity in sensitive cultivar whereas, higher, APX (EC 1.11.1.11), GR (EC 1.6.4.2) and GST (EC 1.6.4.2) activity in tolerant cultivar, also demonstrated the differential anti-oxidative defence responses between the contrasting rice cultivars.