The Effects of Phosphorous and Selenium Treatments on Arsenic Uptake and Plant Growth in Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Abstract Phosphorus (P) and Selenium (Se) supplementation to rice plants grown in Arsenic (As) contaminated conditions as be found by many studies to reduce As uptake and benefit growth in such conditions, however there are some inconsistencies as to how effective these treatments are. This study investigates the effect of 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5 and double the recommended concentration of P and Se on the growth of rice seedlings both with and without the presence of As over a maximum 20 day period. Analysis of the growth data collected indicated that there is no significant difference in the leaf, maximum and minimum root lengths, leaf and root numbers or the As content of the plant material. This study finds that different concentrations of P and Se do not affect growth at early stages and do not affect As uptake.