PADDY SOILS

Jun 01 2026ENVIRONMENT

How tiny soil microbes shape mercury risks in rice fields

Farmers growing rice in contaminated soil face a hidden dilemma. Tiny soil microbes control how mercury turns into a more dangerous form called methylmercury—a toxin that can build up in rice grains. Scientists wanted to see what happens when these microbes start disappearing, which climate change m

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Nov 19 2024ENVIRONMENT

How Plastics Affect Arsenic in Paddy Soils

It's no secret that tiny plastic pieces, called microplastics, are showing up in places they don't belong, like paddy soil. Scientists decided to check how this affects the way arsenic behaves in the soil. They ran a 98-day experiment using both regular and biodegradable microplastics in soil contam

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