Exposure to Copper Oxide Nanoparticles and Arsenic Causes Intergenerational Effects on Rice (Oryza sativa japonica ’Koshihikari’) Seed Germination and Seedling Growth

Offspring generation (F1) rice (Oryza sativa japonica Koshihikari) seed germination and seedlinggrowth tests were conducted for 18 d to investigate intergenerational effects of arsenic (As) and copper oxide nanoparticles (nCuO), with seeds harvested from a life cycle study exposed to As (0 and 10 mg/kg) and nCuO (0, 0.1, 1.0, 10, 50, and 100 mg/L). Seed germination and seedlinggrowth of F1 plants were influenced by treatments experienced by parent generation (F0) plants (p < 0.05). Seeds produced from plants in F0 treatment with nCuO 50 mg/L had the lowest germination percentage and shortest seedlingshoot length and root length in F1 control (F1C) and As at 10 mg/kg (F1As) alone treatments (p < 0.05). The shoot length and root length were decreased, whereas the number of root branches was increased in F1As treatment compared with F1C (p < 0.001). Interaction of As and nCuO also caused differential seed germination and seedlinggrowth at various nCuO concentrations in quasi‐F0 treatment (seeds receiving the same exposure as F0 plants; p < 0.05). Copper and As uptake in F1C seedlingswere not affected by seeds’ F0 exposure; this indicated that the transgenerational effects on rice seedlinggrowth were not dependent on total Cu or As uptake in seedlings. The enhanced effects on seedlingsfrom quasi‐F0 treatment were influenced by additional exposure to nCuO and As that also interacted to affect Cu and As uptake in seedlings. Environ Toxicol Chem 2019;38:1978–1987. © 2019 SETAC.