Genotypic and environmental variation in Cd, Cr, As, Ni and Pb concentrations of grains, and the relationships between these
heavy metals and Fe, Zn were investigated using 9 rice genotypes grown in 6 locations for two successive years. Significant
genotypic variation was detected in the five heavy metal concentrations in grains, indicating the possibility to reduce the
concentration of these heavy metals in grains through breeding approach. The environmental effect varied with metal, with
Pb and Ni having greater variation than the other three metals. There was significant genotype-environment (location) interaction
of the concentrations of all five heavy metals in grains, suggesting the importance of cultivar choice in producing rice with
low heavy metal concentrations in grains for a given location. Correlation analysis showed that Cd and As, Cr and Ni, and
As and Pb concentrations in rice grains were closely associated, and that Ni concentration in grains was negatively correlated
with Zn concentration.
Key words Rice (Oryza sativa L.) - Heavy metals - Genotype - Environment - Grain
CLC number S511
Project supported by the Postdoctoral Science Foundation of China (No. 2005037824), the Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang
Province (No. Z304104), China, the Science and Technology Department of Zhejiang Province (No. 2005C32007), China, and the
Science and Technology Bureau of Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province (No. 2005AZ3003), China