The Increase in the Arsenic Concentration in Brown Rice Due to High Temperature during the Ripening Period and Its Reduction by Silicate Material Treatment

We investigated the effect of temperature during the ripening period on the rice yield and arsenic (As) concentration in brown rice, using temperature gradient chambers (TGCs). Rice grown in Wagner pots (1/5000a) was placed in three TGCs (each TGC was set at four temperature levels: ambient, mildly-high temperature, moderately-high temperature, and super-high temperature) from one week after heading until harvest. In the TGCs, a range of mean air temperatures was observed in the range of 2 °C above the ambient temperature. There was a significant negative correlation between the brown rice yield and the air and soil temperatures, and the increase in air and soil temperatures resulted in a decrease in the yield. The reduction in yield was significantly mitigated by the application of calcium silicate. The concentration of As in the brown rice was significantly positively correlated with the air and soil temperature, and the concentration of As increased with increasing air and soil temperatures. When calcium silicate was applied, the concentration of As in brown rice was significantly lower at all temperature ranges, and its application was effective in reducing the arsenic concentration even at high temperatures. These results suggest that the application of silicate material may help mitigate the decrease in yield and the increasing As concentration in brown rice even under high-temperature conditions.