Response of Yield and Yield Attributes of Different Rice Genotypes to Soil Arsenic

Arsenic (As) contamination is a widespread problem in rice soils of Bangladesh. It can cause health hazards depending on soil As levels and rice varieties grown. Two pot experiments were conducted at net house, Department of Soil Science, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU), Gazipur in Boro (winter rice) and Transplanted Aman (monsoon rice) seasons of 2012 to study response of yield and yield attributes on different rice genotypes at different growth stages to soil arsenic. Sixteen rice varieties/breeding lines (8 for each season) were grown in pots soils having 0, 20, 40 and 60 ppm As. In each season, three sets of rice plants were grown up to maximum tillering (MT), flowering and maturity stages and different plant parameters were recorded depending of sampling stages. Soil As levels greatly reduced (2-85%) rice shoot yield at MT and flowering stages and grain yield (7-97%). Number of panicles and spikelet per panicle were adversely affected by soil As levels. Rice varieties/breeding lines showed differential responses to soil As levels. The effect of As on BRRI dhan47 in both the seasons and BRRI dhan53, BINA dhan8 in Transplanted Aman
(T. Aman) season was insignificant up to 20 ppm soil As level having statistically similar grain yield.