Effect of cadmium and ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid supplementation on cadmium accumulation by roots of Brassica species in Cd spiked soil.

Cadmium (Cd) metal extraction through efficient plant roots has attracted much attention as this methodology is environment-friendly and cost-effective. Brassica species are well known for their tolerance towards high Cd concentration in contaminated soils. The tolerance ability may vary among species; hence the assessment of this variability is mandatory for selecting Brassica species. For this purpose, a greenhouse pot experiment was carried out using three Brassica species (Brassica juncea L., Brassica campestris L., and Brassica napus L.). To evaluate the effect of chelating agent ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) on Cd uptake, EDTA (0, 1, and 2 g kg-1 soil) was supplemented along with Cd (0, 5, 10, 20, 40, and 80 mg kg-1 soil). Among different species, B. juncea possessed the highest root dry biomass and lowest root Cd concentration in untreated soil. Overall root dry biomass of all tested Brassica species reduced on increasing Cd and EDTA levels. The trend was appeared to be related to an increase in root Cd concentration on the supplementation of EDTA that formed a complex with the target metal contaminate and resulted in vacuolar sequestration. Roots of B. juncea showed maximum Cd accumulation and highest values at Cd and EDTA levels up to 20 mg kg-1 and 1 g kg-1 soil due to the combined effect of root biomass and Cd concentration in roots. Thus, present findings inferred that Cd and EDTA supplementation might prove as a feasible strategy to improve remediation of Cd-polluted soil using B. juncea as an efficient Cd accumulator.