ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Impact of arsenic on the seedlings of Ranjit and Aijung, two most edible rice cultivars of Assam, India

Arsenic (As) toxicity profoundly affects the yield and quality of rice worldwide and it is one of the crucial threats in the world as rice being one of the major staple cereal crops. The present study was designed to investigate the growth (germination, growth of the seedlings), stress (H₂O₂ and lipid peroxidation) and biochemical parameters (amylase activity, enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidant activity) of Ranjit and Aijung, the two most edible cultivars of Assam under arsenic stress. Both the rice cultivars responded differentially to As treatments and showed differences in all noted parameters. With increasing arsenic concentration, reduction in germination, plumule–radicle length, reduced fresh and dry mass, and declination in amylase activity was prompted. The reductions of most of the observed parameters were higher in Ranjit than Aijung cultivar as compared to their respective control. Alteration of stress-related parameters and antioxidant enzymes were also inferred under As stress. Analysis of growth and biochemical study revealed that Aijung cultivar is more tolerant to As stress than Ranjit cultivar and that might be associated with a potent antioxidative defense system.