Safe production of rice in Cd-polluted paddy fields by rhizosphere application of zero-valent iron nanoplates at specific growth stages

Nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) is efficient in immobilizing soil heavy metals for rice safe production, but is still limited in field application due to the relatively short effective duration and the required high dose. Herein, ball-milled ZVI nanoplates (10, 100, and 1000 mg kg−1) of ∼5 μm in width and ∼100 nm in thickness were injected into rice rhizosphere at different growth stages in three paddy fields with different Cd pollution levels (0.76–27.34 mg kg−1) to explore the optimum application time and dose for rice safe production. Although applying ZVI nanoplates at the pre-sowing, jointing, and flowering stages all promoted root iron plaque (IP) formation and Cd sequestration by IP, it could not prevent Cd accumulation in brown rice due to the later IP weathering and subsequent Cd remobilization. In contrast, the brown rice Cd content was significantly reduced to the safe level by the 100 and 1000 mg kg−1 ZVI nanoplate treatments at the grain-filling stage when the grain Cd accumulation occurs; moreover, the 100 mg kg−1 ZVI nanoplate treatment at this stage significantly increased the rice yield and thousand kernel weight, without adversely affecting soil microbial community. The findings provide a feasible nZVI application technique for safe production of rice in Cd-polluted paddy fields.