IOSR Journal of Agriculture and Veterinary Science (IOSR-JAVS) e-ISSN: 2319-2380, p-ISSN: 2319-2372. Volume 13, Issue 2 Ser. I (February 2020), PP 07-14 www.iosrjournals.org DOI: 10.9790/2380-1302010714 www.iosrjournals.org 7 | Page Mitigation of Arsenic Stress by Vermicompost and Inorganic Fertilizers in Brri Dhan47 Mohammad Ashik Elahi Shohel 1 , Md. Abdur Razzaque 1 , Mominul Haque Rabin 1* , Mahbuba Siddika 1 and Sheikh Shawkat Zamil 1* 1 Agro-Environmental Chemistry laboratory, Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Corresponding Authors: * Dr. Sheikh Shawkat Zamil, Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural university, Dhaka, Bangladesh. E-mail: zamilsk@hotmail.com and *Mominul Haque Rabin, Lecturer, Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural university, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Abstract: This experiment was done to evaluate the influence of vermicompost and inorganic fertilizers for the mitigation of arsenic stress in BRRI dhan47. Five different doses of vermicompost and inorganic fertilizers i.e. T o = Recommended doses of vermicompost without inorganic fertilizers, T 1 = Recommended doses of inorganic fertilizers without vermicompost, T 2 = Recommended doses of vermicompost + inorganic fertilizers, T 3 = Reduction of 40% of recommended doses of inorganic fertilizers + Addition of vermicompost to supplement the reduction of inorganic fertilizers, T 4 = Reduction of 60% of recommended doses of inorganic fertilizers + Addition of vermicompost to supplement the reduction of inorganic fertilizers were applied under four levels of arsenic [As 0 =No arsenic applied, As 1 = 10 ppm arsenic, As 2 = 20 ppm arsenic, As 3 = 30 ppm arsenic] to observe the mitigation of arsenic. As 0 T 2 gave maximum result in almost all the yield contributing parameters and grain yield of rice whereas As 3 T 1 gave minimum results. The maximum N, P and K content in grain, straw and root were found in As 0 T 2 and the minimum were observed from As 3 T 1 treatment; whereas, highest As by As 3 T 1 and lowest by As 0 T 0. Key Word: Mitigation; Vermicompost; Inorganic Fertilizer; Arsenic; Yield. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date of Submission: 17-01-2020 Date of Acceptance: 05-02-2020 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I. Introduction Arsenic (As), a naturally occurring metalloid, is very mobile in the environment. It enters into farming systems through a variety of means which include natural geochemical processes 1 , use of arsenic-based pesticides, mining operations, irrigation with arsenic contaminated groundwater, and also fertilization with municipal solid wastes 2 . For Bangladesh perspective, groundwater contamination of arsenic is a pressing issue for various districts. Up to various levels, most of the districts of Bangladesh have arsenic contaminated groundwater and 17 of them have exceeded the safety level of WHO recommendation for safety including Chandpur, Comilla, Noakhali, Feni, Munshiganj, Brahmanbaria, Faridpur, Madaripur, Laxmipur, Gopalganj, Shariatpur, Narayanganj, Narail, Satkhira and Chapainawabganj 3 . Now-a-days, twenty countries including Bangladesh have been suffering from groundwater contamination by arsenic, which is the most severe problem occurring in Asia 4 . According to WHO recommendation the permissible limit of arsenic in rice is 1mg/kg. The As contaminated areas in Bangladesh have shown as more than 20 mg As/kg soil. People are exposed to elevated level of arsenic through contaminated drinking water. Using contaminated water in food preparations, irrigation, and industrial processes and eating contaminated food 5 . A significant loss of crop production due to high concentration (20 ppm) arsenic in plant body was recorded by a number of researchers 6 . A number of mitigation approaches have been tried to control arsenic accumulation in plants like phyto-remediation that the removal of contaminants with the help of green plants and organic soil amendments such as cow dung, vermicompost etc. also includes the mitigation of arsenic accumulation in plants which is eco-friendly and available to farmers. Incorporation of organic manures significantly reduced the arsenic uptake by different plant parts of rice is more pronounced and consistent with FYM and vermicompost 7 . Therefore, the use of organic soil amendment such as vermicompost could be an approach to alleviate the accumulation of As of rice plants. Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the principle cereal staple food under the family Poaceae for 160 million people of Bangladesh. Rice sector contributes to 70% of the agricultural GDP and one-sixth of the national income of Bangladesh. Rice covers about 81% of the total cropped area and provides nearly 48% of rural development 8 . The population of Bangladesh is increasing at an alarming rate and the cultivable land is reducing due to urbanization and industrialization resulting in more shortage of food. Horizontal expansion of rice area, rice