Arsenic (As) finds its way into soils used for rice (Oryza sativa) cultivation through polluted irrigation water, and through
historic contamination with As-based pesticides. As is known to be present as a number of chemical species in such soils,
so we wished to investigate how these species were accumulated by rice. As species found in soil solution from a greenhouse
experiment where rice was irrigated with arsenate contaminated water were arsenite, arsenate, dimethylarsinic acid, and
monomethylarsonic acid. The short-term uptake kinetics for these four As species were determined in 7-d-old excised rice
roots. High-affinity uptake (0–0.0532 mm) for arsenite and arsenate with eight rice varieties, covering two growing seasons,
rice var. Boro (dry season) and rice var. Aman (wet season), showed that uptake of both arsenite and arsenate by Boro
varieties was less than that of Aman varieties. Arsenite uptake was active, and was taken up at approximately the same rate
as arsenate. Greater uptake of arsenite, compared with arsenate, was found at higher substrate concentration (low-affinity
uptake system). Competitive inhibition of uptake with phosphate showed that arsenite and arsenate were taken up by
different uptake systems because arsenate uptake was strongly suppressed in the presence of phosphate, whereas arsenite
transport was not affected by phosphate. At a slow rate, there was a hyperbolic uptake of monomethylarsonic acid, and
limited uptake of dimethylarsinic acid.