Immobilization of Cd in paddy soil using moisture management and amendment

To offer scientific data support for remediation of Cd-contaminated paddy soils under reasonable water condition, pot experiment was conducted to study the effects of moisture management and amendments on Cd immobilization in a paddy soil. Application of biochar combined with organic fertilizer reduced the exchangeable Cd by 20.4, 15.7, and 13.0% and brown rice Cd by 43.8, 35.5, and 42.1% under continuous flooding, conventional irrigation, and wetting irrigation, respectively, compared to the controls. Under no amendments, the content of Fe(II) in root coating in the continuous flooding treatment was 2.3 and 3.6 times of that in the conventional and wetting irrigation treatments, but Cd in root coating in the continuous flooding treatment was only 82.6 and 73.8% of that in the conventional and wetting irrigation treatments. Applying amendments increased the Fe(II) in root coating by 27.3, 59.1, and 65.0% but reduced the Cd in root coating by 33.6, 26.5, and 25.1% under continuous flooding, conventional irrigation, and wetting irrigation, respectively. The lower bioavailability of Cd in paddy soil and the competition for adsorption sites in root coating of rice plant between Cd(2+) and Fe(2+) reduced from bivalent ions jointly caused the lower brown rice Cd in amended soils.