Inter- and intra-variability in the mineral content of rice varieties grown in various microclimatic regions of southern Brazil

Abstract The most common goal for rice breeding is to improve the nutritional content and to reduce toxic components. Fourteen varieties of rice were grown for this purpose in six microclimatic regions in southern Brazil. The elemental composition of rice and As-Species were measured by ICP-MS and HPLC-ICP-MS, respectively. Intra- and inter-species variations of essential and non-essential elements in husked grains from an important rice-producing region in Brazil are presented. Arsenic, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni, Se, and Zn were significantly affected by the microclimatic region and the rice varieties. The only exception observed was the effect of Pb variety selection, with 35.4 % associated with random fluctuations. Varieties with both higher levels of Fe/Zn and lower levels of As/Cd were identified in all regions studied. All regions and varieties were able to produce rice with Cd