Applied Agriculture Sciences
Agriculture and food sciences | Online ISSN: 3066-3407
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Volume 4 Number 1 2026
REVIEWS (Open Access)
Environmental Dissemination of Antimicrobial Resistance in Rice Paddy Ecosystems Irrigated with Reclaimed Water
Afia Ibnath1*, Mst. Abida Sultana1, Ahsan Habib 2
Applied Agriculture Sciences 4 (1) 1-16 https://doi.org/10.25163/agriculture.4110744
Submitted: 13 February 2026 Revised: 15 April 2026 Accepted: 23 April 2026 Published: 25 April 2026
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is often framed as a clinical crisis, yet increasingly, it seems difficult to ignore its environmental dimensions—particularly within agricultural systems that sit at the intersection of human activity and natural ecosystems. Rice paddies, with their water-intensive design and microbially rich environments, present a unique and somewhat underexplored setting where resistance may persist, evolve, and potentially circulate beyond field boundaries. This review attempts to bring together what is known—while also acknowledging what remains uncertain—about the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) in rice ecosystems irrigated with reclaimed wastewater. Drawing on recent studies, the evidence suggests that wastewater reuse does not simply introduce contaminants; it reshapes microbial communities and resistance dynamics in ways that are often gradual, context-dependent, and occasionally contradictory. The rhizosphere emerges as a particularly active zone, where dense microbial interactions may facilitate horizontal gene transfer, even as plants appear to exert selective filtering mechanisms. At the same time, agricultural practices—fertilization, compost application, and water management—seem to modulate these processes in complex ways.What becomes increasingly clear is that AMR in such systems cannot be understood in isolation. It is embedded within a broader soil–plant–water continuum, with implications that extend toward food safety, ecosystem stability, and public health. This review therefore highlights the need for integrated, One Health–oriented strategies to better understand and manage resistance in reclaimed water–irrigated agroecosystems.Keywords: Antimicrobial resistance; Rice paddy ecosystems; Reclaimed wastewater; Antibiotic resistance genes; Soil microbiome; Rhizosphere dynamics; One Health
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