Genotypic variations in the accumulation of Cd exhibited by different vegetables

It is an important approach to use the Cd-contaminated soils properly by growing low accumulator or excluder plants for Cd to produce safe foods. To find the suitable vegetable species for growing in Cd-contaminated soils, in the present study the variations in the Cd accumulation for twenty eight vegetable species and several cultivars of five common vegetables (cowpea, kidney pea, bitter gourd, cucumber and squash) were investigated in two soil Cd levels (1 and 2 mg/kg Cd). Experimental results showed that highly significant differences in Cd concentration were evident among 28 vegetables. For example, spinach Cd concentrations were 110-fold and 175-fold higher than that of sweet pea under the 1 and 2 mg/kg Cd exposures, respectively. For Cd accumulation, the order of vegetable species was: leafy vegetables > solanaceous vegetables > kale vegetables > root vegetables > allimus > melon vegetables > legumes. Distinctive differences were also identified when comparing different cultivars of the five common vegetables with an average range of 0.003-0.094 mg/kg Cd. Our results indicated that a large genotypic variation existed among vegetable species or cultivars when subjected to Cd exposure. Therefore, it is important and feasible to elect/breed vegetable species/cultivars with low accumulation of Cd, especially in mildly Cd-contaminated soils.