Description: Large areas of agriculture fields in Asia have been contaminated by heavy metals from mining and other human activities. Due to a serious shortage of arable land and the demand for an ever-expanding population, crops are still commonly grown on contaminated land. For example, Arsenic (As) has highly toxic effects on plant growth when its concentration exceeds a threshold value, and high concentrations of As in paddy soils result in grain yield reduction and higher As concentrations in brown rice. Consequently, the remediation of heavy metal-contaminated agricultural soils is urgently needed for safe food production and to protect human health in these areas. This talk will present research related to phytoremediation, and studies of industrial byproduct, plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, biochar, root anatomical properties etc regarding the rice growth performance and heavy metal uptake in contaminated soils. The target audience includes international scholars, researchers, agricultural industry as well as the general public. Organisers: - Centre for Soybean Research (CSR), State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology (SKLA), The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) - RGC-AoE Center for Genomic Studies on Plant-Environment Interaction for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security (AoE), CUHK - Hong Kong Seed Technology and Education Center (SeedTEC), CUHK - Institute of Environment, Energy and Sustainability (IEES), CUHK Acknowledgement: Lo Kwee-Seong Foundation Date: 25 May 2023 Time: 18:30-20:00 (Hong Kong / Mainland China) 12:30-14:00 (South Africa / Europe Berlin) 05:30-07:00 (US New York / Canada Ottawa) (40mins talk and 30 mins Q&A) Venue (Mix mode) - Room 297, Science Centre South Block, CUHK - Online via Zoom (Zoom link will be sent to registered participants by email 2 days before the talk) Speaker: Dr. Wai Chin Li, Associate Professor, The Department of Science and Environmental Studies, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Education University of Hong Kong Host: Prof Hon Ming Lam, Professor, School of Life Sciences, and Director of SKLA, AoE and SeedTEC, CUHK Language: English Registration deadline: 23 May 2023 Free admission, all are welcome. https://csr.cuhk.edu.hk/upcoming-events/