Effects of remediation agents on rice and soil in toxic metal(loid)s contaminated paddy fields: A global meta-analysis

Toxic metal(loid)s contamination of paddy soil is a nonnegligible issue and threatens food safety considering that it is transmitted via the soil-plant system. Applying remediation agents could effectively inhibit the soil available toxic metal(loid)s and reduce their accumulation in rice. To comprehensively quantify how remediation agents impact the accumulation of Cd/Pb/As in rice, rice growth and yield, the accumulation of available Cd/Pb/As in paddy soil, and soil characteristics, 50 peer-reviewed publications were selected for meta-analysis. Overall, the application of remediation agents exhibited significant positive effects on rice plant length (ES = 0.05, CI = 0.01–0.08), yield (ES = 0.20, CI = 0.13–0.27), peroxidase (ES = 0.56, CI = 0.18–0.31), photosynthetic rate (ES = 0.47, CI = 0.34–0.61), and respiration rate (ES = 0.68, CI = 0.47–0.88). Among the different types of remediation agents, biochar was the most effective in controlling the accumulation of Cd/Pb/As in all portions of rice, and was also superior in inhibiting the accumulation of Pb in rice grains (ES = −0.59, 95 % CI = −1.04–0.13). This study offers an essential contribution for the remediation strategies of toxic metal(loid)s contaminated paddy fields.