Jajati Mandal (@jajatisoil.bsky.social)

🌾 Excited to share our new paper in ACS ES&T Water! We identified the permissible limit of arsenic in irrigation water for rice cultivation (190 μg/L) using 420 soil columns and machine learning. 📄 Research paper link: doi.org/10.1021/acse... #Arsenic #RiceCultivation #FoodSecurity #WHO

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Predicting the Permissible Limit of Arsenic in Irrigation Water for Rice Cultivation This study establishes, for the first time, a permissible arsenic limit for irrigation water to ensure the safe cultivation of rice, a dietary staple in South Asia. Arsenic contamination of irrigation water is a major health risk for approximately 110 million people in this region. An incubation study was conducted using 420 monolithic soil columns from 10 arsenic-contaminated sites under two irrigation regimes (rainfed and irrigated). Using a logistic regression model, a threshold concentration for arsenic in irrigation water was identified as 190 μg L–1. A nonparametric bootstrap simulation (n = 100,000) was performed, yielding a 95% confidence interval of 163.78–190.20 μg L–1, which confirmed the model’s stability. The threshold was validated with field samples and effectively classified rice grain arsenic concentrations. These findings provide a reference for managing irrigation practices to safeguard food safety in arsenic-endemic rice-growing regions of South Asia. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestwater.5c00862