Harsh Bais and Janine Sherrier of the University of
Delaware’s Department of Plant and Soil Sciences are studying whether a
naturally occurring soil bacterium, referred to as UD1023 because it was first
characterized at the University, can create an iron barrier in rice roots that
reduces arsenic uptake.
Rice, grown as a staple food for a large portion of the
world’s population, absorbs arsenic from the environment and transfers it to
the grain. Arsenic is classified as a poison by the National Institutes of
Health and is considered a carcinogen by the National Toxicology Program.