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- Panel 8-2 New Aspects of Food Safety and Sustainable Agriculture based on Soil Quality Control /Zeng-Yei Hseu
Panel 8-2 New Aspects of Food Safety and Sustainable Agriculture based on Soil Quality Control /Zeng-Yei Hseu
Zeng-Yei Hseu
Professor, Department of Agricultural Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taiwan
Rice is a staple food worldwide. Soil contamination with potentially toxic elements (PTEs) and food safety problems occur in many countries due to numerous human activities. This paper provides a schematic summary of PTEs and their identification processes, transport in soil to different rice varieties, and soil remediation strategies and techniques surrounding the agro-environmental impact in paddy soils based on the description of Taiwan’s experiences and databases. In terms of soil control standards (SCS), PTEs including As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn were regulated by the Soil and Ground Water Pollution Remediation Act of Taiwan. Cadmium in rice grains was found to be more significantly accumulated in Indica varieties than Japonica varieties, and easily exceeded the food quality standard (FQS) in the contaminated soils. The best well-performing metal uptake models were developed to predict Cd levels in rice grains for Indica and Japonica varieties using soil bio-available Cd and Zn concentrations extracted by 0.01M CaCl2. Soil remediation techniques including turnover and dilution, in situ stabilization by chemical additives, and phytoremediation. These have been tested and recommended in Taiwan for the past two decades. Although high background levels of As, Cr, and Ni which were higher than SCS in some paddy soils derived from andesite and serpentinites in Taiwan, rice quality and yield were not adversely affected by these PTEs when labile concentrations were very low. Overall, it is necessary to identify the bioavailability of PTEs in different soil types from specific case studies to provide reliable parameters for health-based risk assessments and to further achieve the goal of food safety and sustainable agriculture. Additionally, the actions of soil awareness enable the general public to understand soil functions and soil security as well as construct the knowledge foundation for communications on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Keywords: Food safety, paddy rice, potentially toxic elements, soil health, soil security
Professor, Department of Agricultural Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taiwan
Rice is a staple food worldwide. Soil contamination with potentially toxic elements (PTEs) and food safety problems occur in many countries due to numerous human activities. This paper provides a schematic summary of PTEs and their identification processes, transport in soil to different rice varieties, and soil remediation strategies and techniques surrounding the agro-environmental impact in paddy soils based on the description of Taiwan’s experiences and databases. In terms of soil control standards (SCS), PTEs including As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn were regulated by the Soil and Ground Water Pollution Remediation Act of Taiwan. Cadmium in rice grains was found to be more significantly accumulated in Indica varieties than Japonica varieties, and easily exceeded the food quality standard (FQS) in the contaminated soils. The best well-performing metal uptake models were developed to predict Cd levels in rice grains for Indica and Japonica varieties using soil bio-available Cd and Zn concentrations extracted by 0.01M CaCl2. Soil remediation techniques including turnover and dilution, in situ stabilization by chemical additives, and phytoremediation. These have been tested and recommended in Taiwan for the past two decades. Although high background levels of As, Cr, and Ni which were higher than SCS in some paddy soils derived from andesite and serpentinites in Taiwan, rice quality and yield were not adversely affected by these PTEs when labile concentrations were very low. Overall, it is necessary to identify the bioavailability of PTEs in different soil types from specific case studies to provide reliable parameters for health-based risk assessments and to further achieve the goal of food safety and sustainable agriculture. Additionally, the actions of soil awareness enable the general public to understand soil functions and soil security as well as construct the knowledge foundation for communications on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Keywords: Food safety, paddy rice, potentially toxic elements, soil health, soil security