Novel strategies for low-grain-arsenic rice ( Oryza sativa L.) cultivation for sustainable agriculture and environment

Arsenic contamination poses a major global health concern due to its widespread occurrence, high toxicity, and chronic dietary exposure through rice and rice-based food products. Countries in South and Southeast Asia, including India, are disproportionately affected owing to the prevalence of arsenic-rich geological formations and prolonged groundwater exploitation. Over the past two decades, significant research efforts have been directed toward understanding arsenic uptake, translocation, and accumulation in rice plants, as well as developing effective mitigation strategies. Nutrient-based interventions, including the supplementation of elements such as selenium, silicon, sulfur, and nitrogen, have shown promise in reducing arsenic toxicity while improving rice nutritional quality. In parallel, genetic approaches aimed at developing rice varieties with enhanced nutrient acquisition efficiency and restricted arsenic accumulation offer a sustainable and long-term solution. These include conventional breeding, transgenic strategies, and advanced genome-editing tools that target key genes involved in arsenic transport and detoxification. In addition, agronomic practices such as improved water management play a critical role in minimizing arsenic bioavailability in paddy soils. This review comprehensively examines integrated mitigation strategies encompassing elemental supplementation, water management, breeding, transgenic, and genome-editing approaches to reduce arsenic accumulation in rice grains and vegetative tissues, thereby improving food and fodder safety. These strategies may hold particular promise for cultivating rice in arsenic-contaminated regions worldwide, thereby enhancing its safety for human consumption.