Soybean crop exposed to arsenic: a possible risk for the food chain?.

ARMENDARIZ, AL; TALANO MA; AGOSTINI E

Buenos Aires

Congreso; 5to Congreso Internacional sobre el arsénico en el medio ambiente; 11 al 16 de mayo de 2014; 2014

ABSTRACT: Soybean (Glycine max) is often being cultivated in soils with either moderate or high arsenic (As) concentrations or under irrigation with As contaminated groundwater. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of arsenite (As(III)) and arsenate (As(V)) on growth, antioxidant response and possible accumulation in soybean plants. A decrease in biomass and shoot length was observed when plants were treated with solutions containing As. As induced an antioxidant response, which was more evident in roots treated with As(III). For both treatments, As concentration in roots was higher than in shoots. Plants treated with As(III) accumulated 9% more of As in roots than those exposed to As(V). The results suggest that soybean crops exposed to As would not constitute a source of As entry into the food chain. However, soybean plants could be affected in terms of production, reducing their quality and yield.