Arsenic contamination in agriculture

LINKAGES BETWEEN ARSENIC IN SOIL AND LOWER RICE YIELD

Arsenic contamination in rice paddies, driven by groundwater irrigation and microbial imbalance, reduces yield through straighthead disease and accumulation of toxic compounds (DMA, DMMTA). India’s newly reclaimed paddies are most vulnerable, especially in West Bengal, Bihar, and Assam, while older soils show lower risk due to demethylating microbes. Chronic arsenic exposure threatens food safety and public health. Mitigation strategies include alternate wetting and drying (AWD) irrigation, mid-season drainage, silicon fertilisation, and low-arsenic rice varieties. Policy measures must integrate arsenic-speciation monitoring and align with Codex/WHO standards to safeguard rice yield, nutrition, and economic stability.