A pot experiment was conducted to investigate the transfer of As and cationic heavy metals (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cd and Pb) from soil to rice plant in soil condition with submerged and drained. During the ninety-day monitoring period for soil solution, solubility of reducible elements such as As, Fe and Mn in submerged condition were higher than that of Zn. On the contrary, concentration of Zn in drained condition was higher than that of reducible elements. The concentration of As, Cd, Pb and Zn in rice plant (root, stem, leaf and grain) showed similar pattern with soil solution. The As concentration in each part of rice plant, which cultivated in drained condition, measured 56%~94% lower than those in submerged condition. However, the contents of cationic heavy metals (Cd, Pb and Zn) were represented the opposite result with As. These results are due to mobility of As and cationic heavy metals under different soil drainage conditions which represent oxidation and reduction. Thus soil drainage control can be used as acceptable passive treatment methods to reduce transfer of inorganic contaminants from soil to rice plant. However more detailed examination on soil condition conversion is needed, because yield of rice was decreased when it cultivated in drained condition only. It also needed when soil is contaminated by As and cationic heavy metal because single drainage condition cannot reduce transfer of both kinds of contaminants all.
Keywords: Arsenic;Heavy metal;Soil solution;Rice;Drainage;