Effects of foliar silicon fertilizer on rice cadmium accumulation in red soil region of Southern China

In order to understand the effects of foliar silicon fertilizer on cadmium (Cd) reduction in brown rice as well as on Cd migration, transformation in different parts of rice and grain yield, a field experiment was carried out in a typical Cd-contaminated farmland in Xinyu City, including three treatments, two kinds of foliar silicon fertilizer (F1 and F2) and water as a control (CK), sprayed at jointing and blooming stages.The results showed that compared with CK, the rice yields of F1 and F2 treatments increased by 4.70%~6.26%, the Cd in brown rice significantly decreased by 33.3%~56.0% (P < 0.05).Silicon (Si) in leaves and husks increased by 25.2%~134% (P < 0.05) at harvest.The antagonistic coefficient in stem and husk of foliar silicon fertilizer treatment was significantly higher than that of CK (P < 0.05).The Cd content in brown rice was positively correlated with the Cd contents in husk, but negatively correlated with the Si content in husk and stem.The off-site verification test showed that foliar silicon fertilizer effectively reduced the Cd in brown rice in low Cd polluted areas (0.31 mg·kg^-1), which was below the standard value (0.20 mg·kg^-1).