Abstract
Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic and harmful heavy metal that contaminates agricultural soil
when released into the environment. The beneficial element silicon (Si) can be used to
reduce Cd stress. However, the mechanism for reducing Cd toxicity in Cempo Merah
rice remains unclear. In this study, we conducted an experiment to determine the
required potency of Si for reducing Cd toxicity in the plant. We used a randomized
design with two factorials, i.e., calcium silicate and cadmium sulfate at various
concentrations (0 mg kg-1
, 50 mg kg-1
, and 100 mg kg-1
) with three replicates. The plants
were maintained for 8 weeks. The measured parameters included the Cd, Si, and
malondialdehyde (MDA) contents, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and plant
biomass. Using microscopy, we observed the anatomical root structure, including the
thicknesses of the exodermis, sclerenchyma, and endodermis cell walls. The
experimental results showed that an excess of Cd inhibited plant growth and increased
the MDA content. Increased plant tolerance against the effect of Cd is required for their
growth and survival in overcoming the negative impact of Cd exposure. As silicon is
involved in the formation by roots of an apoplast barrier to limit Cd uptake, a
combination of Cd and Si treatment in plants was found to produce lower Cd contents
in the plant shoots and a minimum Cd translocation factor. The addition of Si was also
observed to increase the SOD activity in plants under Cd stress. Therefore, Si is
suggested to have potency in reducing Cd toxicity in Cempo Merah rice and increasing
rice growth
Rita Ariyana Nur Khasanah, Diah Rachmawati. (2020) Potency of silicon in reducing cadmium toxicity in Cempo Merah rice, Asian Journal of Agriculture and Biology, Volume 8, Issue-4.
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