Evaluation of cadmium phytoremediation potential in Chinese cabbage cultivars.

Selecting a phytoextraction plant with moderate to high Cd-accumulating ability and high biomass based on the plant's compatibility with mechanized cultivation techniques may yield more immediately practical results. In the present study, six Chinese cabbage cultivars were grown in three soils, ranging from 0.15 to 2.25 mg Cd kg(-1) soil, to examine uptake and translocation of Cd in their tissues. The results indicated that the order of the shoot Cd concentration values in the cultivars was as follows: Beijingxiaoza 56 > Suancaiwang > Quansheng and Qiubo 60 > Xianfengkuaicai and Chunkang. Similar order was also found in the bioaccumulation factor (BAF), translocation factor (TF), and metal extraction ratio (MER). Several soil Cd fractions after Beijingxiaoza 56 harvesting decreased most. Beijingxiaoza 56 is thus promising for phytoextraction of Cd from soils with low to moderate (<2.25 mg kg(-1)) Cd contamination.