Paddy fields in South and South-East Asia are being irrigated with arsenic contaminated groundwater accumulated over ages from Himalayan minerals. It is posing a health hazard to millions dependent on rice as subsistence diet and also to sustainable agriculture in affected areas. Rice accumulates 10 fold higher arsenic than wheat and other cereals and is said to be a neglected cancer risk. Arsenic toxicity affects concentration of other macro and micronutrients in plant tissues either through direct competition with their uptake or due to disturbance to nutrient metabolism consequently...
Paddy fields in South and South-East Asia are being irrigated with arsenic contaminated groundwater accumulated over ages from Himalayan minerals. It ...