Effects of Different Soil Conditioners on Rice Growth and Heavy Metal Uptake in Soil Contaminated with Copper and Cadmium

A rice pot experiment was conducted to study the effects of four soil conditioners, namely polyacrylic acid (PAA), polyacrylamide (PAM), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and humic acid (HA), on rice growth and heavy metal uptake from paddy soil contaminated with copper and cadmium. The results showed that the height and straw weight of rice in the conditioned soil treatments increased by 7.34%-22.0% and 10.0%-32.2%, respectively, compared to the control treatment. The increased height and straw weight was generally proportional to the amount of soil conditioners used in each treatment. Application of 0.4% soil conditioners led to a slight reduction in rice yield, with the grain weight decreasing by 6.70%-32.6% relative to the control treatment. Soil conditioners had no effect on soil pH, but significantly reduced the concentration of soil available Cu (5.38%-39.7%) and Cd (6.98%-59.6%). Similarly, concentrations of Cu in rice root, straw, and grain were decreased by 0.88%-27.2%, 8.50%-45.2%, and 3.41%-31.2%, respectively, while concentrations of Cd were decreased by 5.93%-20.5%, 10.0%-51.4%, and 3.12%-50.7%, respectively. The largest and smallest decreases occurred in the PAA and PVA treatments, respectively. Application of PAA, PAM, and HA significantly decreased the translocation factor of Cu from root to straw by 11.2%-27.1%, whereas the translocation factor of Cu from straw to grain increased by 17.9%-33.6%, respectively, compared with the control treatment. Application of PAA, PAM, and HA significantly decreased the translocation factor of Cd from root to straw by 15.2%-38.5%, compared with the control treatment, but with the exception of HA, had no effect on Cd translocation from straw to grain. In general, the application of soil conditioners promoted rice growth, inhibited the uptake of Cu and Cd by rice, and had a certain remediation effect on heavy metal contaminated soil.