Basin-scale comprehensive assessment of cadmium pollution,risk, and toxicity in riverine sediments of the Haihe Basin in north China

A comprehensive and detailed investigation of cadmium (Cd) pollution in surface riverine sediments of the Haihe Basin in north China was carried out. Total Cd concentrations in these sediments ranged from 0.153 to 22.1 mg/kg, exceeding the soil background value at all sampling sites. The mean Cd concentration of the bioavailable fraction was 0.557 mg/kg, accounting on average for 51.58% of the total Cd. A mean value of the Cd enrichment factor of 11.6 suggested that Cd has accumulated in most riverine sediments, resulting in a high degree of anthropogenic pollution. In fact, there were high levels of Cd pollution in the riverine sediments throughout the Haihe Basin, yielding geo-accumulation index values for Cd from 0.071 to 7.25. According to the potential ecological risk index, risk assessment code, and consensus-based sediment quality guidelines, Cd was a serious pollutant in this ecosystem. Because it occurred as a high proportion in the exchangeable/acid soluble fraction (21.21% on average), it may also have biological toxicity. Our findings indicated that it is important to consider Cd in control strategies for managing riverine sediment pollution in the Haihe Basin.     

Effect of mycorrhizal inoculations on heavy metal uptake and stress alleviation of Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp. genotypes grown in cadmium and lead contaminated soils

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the role of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi on metal uptake, oxidative effects and antioxidant defence mechanisms under cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) stresses in Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp. (pigeonpea). Treatments consisted of two concentrations each of Cd (25 and 50 mg/kg of soil) and Pb (500 and 800 mg/kg of soil) singly as well as in combination. Both metals induced oxidative damage through increased lipid peroxidation, electrolyte leakage and hydrogen peroxide levels, but Cd was found to be more toxic than Pb. Compared with the effects of Cd or Pb alone, the combination of Cd and Pb acted synergistically; however, Pb immobilisation in soil controlled the uptake of Cd in plants. There was a direct correlation between the type of genotype, heavy metal content and oxidative damage in concentration dependent manner. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POX) increased under stress. The toxicity symptoms of the metal stress were significantly higher in Sel-141-97 genotype when compared with Sel-85 N. The high ratio of glutathione to its oxidised form, glutathione disulfide (GSH/GSSG), could be restored by means of higher glutathione reductase (GR) activity and increased GSH synthesis in mycorrhizal stressed plants. AM inoculations with Glomus mosseae significantly arrested uptake of Cd and Pb into the root system and further translocation into the above ground parts and led to decreased lipid peroxidation and electrolyte leakage. Increased activities of SOD, CAT, POX as well as GR were observed in all mycorrhizal stressed plants.     

土壤中镉对丛枝菌根真菌Glomus mosseae生长的效应

采用分室培养法,在同一宿主植物生长的土壤中设含有0、5、25、50mg/kg4个不同浓度重金属镉的菌丝生长室(用30μm尼龙网与根系隔开)以期建立在宿主植物生长状况完全相同的条件下研究环境因素对AM真菌直接影响的新方法,并在此基础上探讨不同浓度的重金属镉对丛枝菌根真菌Glomus mosseae(BEG167)生长的直接影响。结果表明,与不施加镉的处理相比,土壤中施加低浓度镉(5mg/kg)刺激了G.mosseae的生长,其菌丝总长度最大;高浓度镉(大于25mg/kg)抑制了G.mosseae的生长,其菌丝总长度较小。AM真菌的代谢活性与土壤镉浓度的关系也表现出与菌丝生物量相同的规律。以上结果表明:G.mosseae在镉污染环境中有应激反应的特征,即:当G.mosseae受到轻微毒害时,为了适应其生存条件的改变而不断增加其代谢活性和生长量来降低镉的毒害。此外,本方法用于研究宿主植物生长状况相同的条件下,重金属毒害或其他环境因素对AM真菌生长代谢的直接影响是可行的。     

A reconsideration of the safety of fenoxycarb (IGR) in soil environment: The toxicity of fenoxycarb to Yuukianura szeptyckii (Collembola)

Fenoxycarb, a juvenile hormone agonist has been widely used to control various insect pests in agriculture. Fenoxycarb has been considered environmentally safe because it degrades quickly and has lower mammalian toxicity compared with many conventional pesticides. To date, fenoxycarb is reported safe for soil organisms, but this conclusion is based solely on toxicity studies with Folsomia candida (Collembola) and Eisenia fetida (earthworm). The aim of this study was to investigate the toxic effect of fenoxycarb on Yuukianura szeptyckii (Collembola) to assess further whether this chemical is environmentally safe or not. After 28 d of exposure of fenoxycarb in the soil, adult survival and juvenile production were assessed. The median lethal concentration (LC₅₀) value for adult was 955.2 mg/kg and the median effective concentration (EC₅₀) and no observed effect concentration (NOEC) value for juvenile production was 0.2 mg/kg and <0.15 mg/kg, respectively. The effect of fenoxycarb on egg production and hatching rate was evaluated using a compressed soil substrate. A significant reduction in egg production was observed at 300 mg/kg or more, and the hatching rate was significantly reduced at 0.15 mg/kg or more. These results indicated that the adverse effects of fenoxycarb on juvenile production at concentrations of 0.15, 9.4, and 75 mg/kg were mainly due to a reduced hatching rate. The toxicity/exposure ratio (TER) for fenoxycarb in Y. szeptyckii was <5, indicating risk to Y. szeptyckii from fenoxycarb residues in soil. This study suggests that fenoxycarb poses high potential risk to Y. szeptyckii at environmentally relevant concentrations. Thus, further research, such as higher tier study is needed to clarify fenoxycarb risk in soil ecosystems.     

Testicular toxicity induced by dietary cadmium in cocks and ameliorative effect by selenium

Cadmium (Cd) is an ubiquitous environmental pollutant that has been associated with male reproductive toxicity in animal models. However, little is known about the reproductive toxicity of Cd in birds. To investigate the toxicity of Cd on male reproduction in birds and the protective effects of selenium (Se) against subchronic exposure to dietary Cd, 100-day-old cocks received either Se (as 10 mg Na₂SeO₃ per kg of diet), Cd (as 150 mg CdCl₂ per kg of diet) or Cd + Se in their diets for 60 days. Histological and ultrastructural changes in the testis, the concentrations of Cd and Se, amount of lipid peroxidation (LPO), the activities of the antioxidants superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and apoptosis and serum testosterone levels were determined. Exposure to Cd significantly lowered SOD and GPx activity, Se content in the testicular tissue, and serum testosterone levels. It increased the amount of LPO, the numbers of apoptotic cells and Cd concentration and caused obvious histopathological changes in the testes. Concurrent treatment with Se reduced the Cd-induced histopathological changes in the testis, oxidative stress, endocrine disorder and apoptosis, suggesting that the toxic effects of cadmium on the testes is ameliorated by Se. Se supplementation also modified the distribution of Cd in the testis.     

Cadmium tolerance and accumulation in eight potential energy crops

The production of energy crops that can be used for biodiesel production is a sustainable approach for the removal of metal pollutants by phytoremediation. This study investigated the cadmium (Cd) accumulation and tolerance of eight potential energy crops. After growth for 28 days in substrates containing 0, 50, 100 or 200 mg Cd·kg^− 1, seedlings were evaluated for growth parameters, chlorophyll content, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters and Cd accumulation. All eight crops were moderately tolerant to Cd toxicity, with four [i.e., hemp (Cannabis sativa), flax (Linum usitatissimum), castor (Ricinus communis) and peanut (Arachis hypogaea)] being more tolerant than the others. Three of these crops (hemp, flax and peanut) had higher Cd accumulation capacities. The roots of peanut and hemp had high bioconcentration factors (BCF > 1000), while flax shoots accumulated a higher concentration of Cd (> 100 mg/kg). These results demonstrate that it is possible to grow energy crops on Cd-contaminated soil. Hemp, flax and peanut are excellent candidates for phytoremediation.     

露地栽培向设施栽培转变对菜田土壤重金属含量及形态的影响

为了研究露地栽培向设施大棚栽培转变对土壤重金属含量的影响,对武汉市郊区露地和设施塑料大棚两种栽培条件下菜田土壤重金属Cd、Cr和Pb各形态含量及分布特征进行了研究。结果显示,露地和大棚栽培条件下土壤重金属元素Cr和Pb各种形态含量之间没有明显差异,但Cd各种形态含量间有显著差异;从露地到大棚,土壤中Cd酸可提取态含量从露地的0.62 mg/kg上升到大棚的1.19 mg/kg,其次是Cd残渣态、有机结合态、氧化态和碳酸盐结合态;Cd总含量从露地的0.79 mg/kg升高到大棚的1.58 mg/kg,显著超过土壤环境质量标准中的Cd含量标准值(0.3 mg/kg),达到严重污染水平。Cd碳酸盐结合态和氧化态占总量的比例有所降低,而酸可提取态占总量的比例有所升高。说明从露地到设施大棚栽培,促使了土壤中部分Cd碳酸盐结合态和氧化结合态向酸可提取态转变,提高了土壤中Cd的生物有效性。因此,在设施大棚栽培快速发展的情况下,要加强重金属Cd对土壤污染的治理,减少重金属Cd对蔬菜的毒害。     

Effects of zinc pre-treatment on blood glutathione,serum zinc and kidney histological organisation in male rats exposed to cadmium

The effects of sub-chronic exposure to cadmium (Cd) on the blood glutathione, serum zinc and on the kidney histological organisation in rats as well as the possible protective role of zinc (Zn) are the object of this study. For this purpose, 60 male Wistar rats (8 weeks old) were divided into three groups: the first group was exposed to Cd in the form of CdCl₂, administered in five doses (each of 0.4 mg Cd/kg b.w.) on days 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25, giving a total dose of 2 mg Cd/kg b.w., i.p.; the second group was simultaneously exposed to Zn and Cd with the same timeline and the same doses of Cd as the first group but with, in addition, injections of Zn in the form of ZnCl₂, administered in doses of 0.8 mg Zn/kg b.w., giving a total dose of 4 mg Zn/kg b w, i.p.; a control group received 0.5 mL of physiological saline in an identical manner. Intoxication with Cd was followed by a significant decrease in blood glutathione, increase in oxidized glutathione as well as histological damage in kidneys. Pre-treatment with Zn exhibited a protective role against Cd toxicity with a significant decrease in serum zinc content. This fact may be explained by an excessive use of zinc in metallothionein synthesis as a cadmium detoxification agent.     

Adsorption,Bioavailability, and Toxicity of Cadmium to Soil Microorganisms

The influence of adsorption on cadmium toxicity to soil microorganisms in soils was quantified as a function of solution and sorbent characteristics. The influence of adsorption on cadmium toxicity to soil microorganisms was assessed indirectly through the relative change in microbial hydrolysis of fluorescein diacetate (FDA) as a function of total Cd concentration and sorbent characteristics. The sequence of relative percentage of FDA hydrolysis was reference smectite (RS) > untreated Vertisol (UV) > dithionate-citrate-bicarbonate (DCB)-treated Vertisol (DV) > H₂O₂-treated Vertisol (HV) in suspensions containing the same total Cd concentrations. The correlation between the percentage of FDA hydrolysis and activity of Cd²⁺ _(aq) illustrates that RS has a higher capacity of Cd adsorption. The microbial activity of RS was higher and the toxicity was lower than that of other soil samples. The HV had lower capacity of Cd adsorption so that its FDA hydrolysis was low and the Cd toxicity was high.     

Changes of Porcine Growth Hormone and Pituitary Nitrogen Monoxide Production as a Response to Cadmium Toxicity

The present study was designed to investigate the effects of various cadmium concentrations on porcine growth hormone (GH) secretion in serum and cultured pituitary cells and to explore the possible mechanisms of cadmium toxicity. In feeding trial, 192 barrows (Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire), with similar initial body weights, were randomly divided into four different treatment groups with three replicates for each treatment. The diets were supplemented for 83 days with 0, 0.5, 5.0, and 10.0 mg/kg cadmium (as CdCl₂). For the cell culture trial, dispersed pituitary cells were incubated with graded doses of cadmium (0, 5, 10, 15, or 20 μM) for 24 h. Pigs treated with 10 mg/kg cadmium had significantly decreased serum GH content. 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay showed that Cd toxicity was dose-dependent. Cell viability was reduced to 50% at 15 μM concentration. Administration of cadmium significantly reduced GH secretion, whereas cellular NO content and inducible nitric oxide synthase activity increased to a certain extent. These findings suggest that the decrease of GH might be related to NO production and to a change of NO signal pathway caused by cadmium.     

Cadmium exposure in the population: from health risks to strategies of prevention

We focus on the recent evidence that elucidates our understanding about the effects of cadmium (Cd) on human health and their prevention. Recently, there has been substantial progress in the exploration of the shape of the Cd concentration-response function on osteoporosis and mortality. Environmental exposure to Cd increases total mortality in a continuous fashion without evidence of a threshold, independently of kidney function and other classical factors associated with mortality including age, gender, smoking and social economic status. Pooled hazard rates of two recent environmental population based cohort studies revealed that for each doubling of urinary Cd concentration, the relative risk for mortality increases with 17% (95% CI 4.2–33.1%; P < 0.0001). Tubular kidney damage starts at urinary Cd concentrations ranging between 0.5 and 2 μg urinary Cd/g creatinine, and recent studies focusing on bone effects show increased risk of osteoporosis even at urinary Cd below 1 μg Cd/g creatinine. The non-smoking adult population has urinary Cd concentrations close to or higher than 0.5 μg Cd/g creatinine. To diminish the transfer of Cd from soil to plants for human consumption, the bioavailability of soil Cd for the plants should be reduced (external bioavailability) by maintaining agricultural and garden soils pH close to neutral (pH-H₂O of 7.5; pH-KCL of 6.5). Reducing the systemic bioavailability of intestinal Cd can be best achieved by preserving a balanced iron status. The latter might especially be relevant in groups with a lower intake of iron, such as vegetarians, and women in reproductive phase of life. In exposed populations, house dust loaded with Cd is an additional relevant exposure route. In view of the insidious etiology of health effects associated with low dose exposure to Cd and the current European Cd intake which is close to the tolerable weekly intake, one should not underestimate the importance of the recent epidemiological evidence on Cd toxicity as to its medical and public health implications.     

镉胁迫对小报春幼苗生长及生理特性的影响

该研究采用盆栽控制试验,测定不同浓度(0、5、50、100、150、200 mg/kg)土壤Cd胁迫下小报春幼苗生长及生理生化指标,以探究小报春(Primula forbesii Franch.)对重金属镉(Cd)污染的抗性和敏感性,为新型香花地被植物应用于Cd污染土壤提供理论依据。结果表明:(1)低浓度(5 mg/kg)Cd胁迫能促进小报春株高和根长的伸长,高浓度(≥150 mg/kg)Cd胁迫下株高、根长和生物量明显降低。(2)随Cd胁迫浓度增加,小报春幼苗叶片光合作用、叶绿素含量、SOD和CAT活性先上升后下降,而其超氧阴离子产生速率、过氧化氢、丙二醛含量、叶相对电导率和POD活性持续升高。(3)在Cd胁迫条件下,小报春体内K、Zn含量降低,叶和根中Ca、Mg含量显著增加,体内Cd含量明显升高,且根系Cd含量远远高于叶和叶柄。研究发现,小报春幼苗对Cd胁迫具有一定的耐性,低浓度(5 mg/kg)Cd胁迫对小报春生长影响较小,但高浓度(≥150 mg/kg)Cd胁迫对小报春产生明显的毒害作用,影响其正常生长;小报春可能通过增强体内抗氧化酶系统活性、增加叶和根中Ca、Mg含量和根系截留镉来减轻镉胁迫的伤害,提高自身耐受镉胁迫能力。     

Physiological mechanism of hypertolerance of cadmium in Kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue: Chemical forms and tissue distribution

Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) and tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) are hypertolerant grasses to soil cadmium contamination. Little information is available on their tolerance mechanism. A sand culture and a hydroponic culture experiment were designed to investigate the Cd chemical form changes and its translocation in different tissues. The results showed that Kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue can tolerate 50–200 mg kg⁻¹ of soil Cd stresses and accumulate as high as 4275 and 2559 mg Cd kg⁻¹ DW, respectively, in their shoots without the loss of shoot biomass. Their Cd hypertolerance was correlated with an increase of the undissolved Cd phosphates in the leaves in both grass species, as determined by sequential solvent extraction procedures. The superior Cd tolerance of tall fescue to Kentucky bluegrass was associated with less Cd translocation into the stele of roots and less Cd transported to leaves. The pectate- and protein-integrated Cd forms may be involved in the symplastic translocation of Cd from cortex into stele, and this may lead the higher Cd concentrations in the stele of roots and then above ground leaves via long-distance transport in Kentucky bluegrass.     

Cadmium detoxification in roots of Pisum sativum seedlings: relationship between toxicity levels,thiol pool alterations and growth

The evaluation of thiol metabolism in plant adaptation to relevant levels of cadmium stress is important for understanding the real importance of phytochelatins and related thiols in stress coping. The present work was designed to study the process of stress adaptation in roots of Pisum sativum L. plants during an exposure to different cadmium concentrations, ranging from more realistic exposures to those usually employed in PC studies. The balance between individual PCs and their homologous hPCs in constitutive thiol pools and root growth was also accessed. Roots of intact plants were submitted to 1, 3, 30, 60 or 120 μM Cd and harvested after 1, 3, 6 and 9 days after exposure. Growth parameters and root tissue cadmium accumulation were analysed. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection was used due to its high sensitivity. Root growth was only affected in concentrations higher than 30 μM Cd, but the presence of low cadmium concentrations induced significant alterations in constitutive thiols and triggered the synthesis of PCs and hPCs, bearing two to four olygomeric repeats. Increasing Cd stress levels were generally associated with higher polythiol production; however, with the time-course of the experiments, higher degrees of toxicity were associated with a reduction in thiol production. This behaviour was attributed to the Cys and GSH depletion, which limited polythiol synthesis, as well as root growth. In tolerable concentrations, the rate of root length recovery matched the increase in PC and hPC synthesis. In higher concentrations (60 and 120 μM), the reduction in non-protein polythiol synthesis was associated with higher Cd toxicity, leading to a severe growth reduction. The synthesis of hPCs seemed to have a reduced importance in tolerance; however, their production was stimulated when the GSH deficit was higher. Our results suggest that the reductions in PC levels, observed in higher degrees of stress, were not related to the activation of other tolerance mechanisms but were instead associated with the high metabolic cost of this thiol-based tolerance mechanism.     

A Comparative Assessment of the Influences of Human Impacts on Soil Cd Concentrations Based on Stepwise Linear Regression,Classification and Regression Tree,and Random Forest Models

Soil cadmium (Cd) contamination has attracted a great deal of attention because of its detrimental effects on animals and humans. This study aimed to develop and compare the performances of stepwise linear regression (SLR), classification and regression tree (CART) and random forest (RF) models in the prediction and mapping of the spatial distribution of soil Cd and to identify likely sources of Cd accumulation in Fuyang County, eastern China. Soil Cd data from 276 topsoil (0–20 cm) samples were collected and randomly divided into calibration (222 samples) and validation datasets (54 samples). Auxiliary data, including detailed land use information, soil organic matter, soil pH, and topographic data, were incorporated into the models to simulate the soil Cd concentrations and further identify the main factors influencing soil Cd variation. The predictive models for soil Cd concentration exhibited acceptable overall accuracies (72.22% for SLR, 70.37% for CART, and 75.93% for RF). The SLR model exhibited the largest predicted deviation, with a mean error (ME) of 0.074 mg/kg, a mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.160 mg/kg, and a root mean squared error (RMSE) of 0.274 mg/kg, and the RF model produced the results closest to the observed values, with an ME of 0.002 mg/kg, an MAE of 0.132 mg/kg, and an RMSE of 0.198 mg/kg. The RF model also exhibited the greatest R² value (0.772). The CART model predictions closely followed, with ME, MAE, RMSE, and R² values of 0.013 mg/kg, 0.154 mg/kg, 0.230 mg/kg and 0.644, respectively. The three prediction maps generally exhibited similar and realistic spatial patterns of soil Cd contamination. The heavily Cd-affected areas were primarily located in the alluvial valley plain of the Fuchun River and its tributaries because of the dramatic industrialization and urbanization processes that have occurred there. The most important variable for explaining high levels of soil Cd accumulation was the presence of metal smelting industries. The good performance of the RF model was attributable to its ability to handle the non-linear and hierarchical relationships between soil Cd and environmental variables. These results confirm that the RF approach is promising for the prediction and spatial distribution mapping of soil Cd at the regional scale.     

镉胁迫下植物促生菌密歇根克雷伯氏菌TS8和Lelliottia jeotgali MR2对拟南芥生长及镉富集的影响北大核心CSCD

为了研究镉胁迫下植物促生菌密歇根克雷伯氏菌(Klebsiella michiganensis)TS8和Lelliottia jeotgaliMR2对拟南芥(Arabidopsis thaliana)生长及镉富集的影响,文中以野生型拟南芥为试验材料,将其种植在不同镉浓度的土壤基质中,并施入MR2和TS8菌悬液。低浓度镉处理组(LC)为购买的基质营养土,初始镉浓度为14.17 mg/kg,高浓度处理组(HC)为在购买的基质营养土上额外喷洒200 mg/kg Cd^(2+)。结果表明,相比对照组,不同浓度镉胁迫下喷施MR2菌悬液均可显著促进拟南芥的生长,而TS8和MR2_TS8混合菌液仅在高浓度镉胁迫下表现出一定的促生效果。但值得关注的是,不同浓度镉胁迫下TS8菌悬液可显著降低拟南芥的地下部对重金属镉的富集(60%和59%),并有效提高地上部对重金属镉的富集(234%和35%)。此外,单菌和混合菌均能显著提高土壤中可还原态镉向酸可提取态镉转化,促进植物吸收,降低土壤总镉含量。因此,针对不同环境下,合理配施植物促生细菌在提高作物产量或修复土壤镉污染中具有一定的应用价值。     

Response of miscanthus to toxic cadmium applications during the period of maximum growth

Plants of miscanthus were grown in a Cd-free solution up to 1 month before heading and then were exposed to 0, 0.75, 1.5, 2.25 and 3 mg l⁻¹ cadmium for 36 days. All cadmium levels were toxic to miscanthus. Growth response was not dose-dependent and two toxicity thresholds were identified: one between 0 and 0.75 mg l⁻¹ Cd, the other between 2.25 and 3 mg l⁻¹ Cd. The former caused a biomass decrease by about 50%, whereas the latter completely inhibited growth and disrupted the mechanisms that restricted Cd translocation to the shoot. Growth of the aerial part was affected by cadmium more than that of the hypogeal one. Cadmium did not change the N concentration of different plant parts, but markedly reduced the N uptake of the plant, the N net uptake rate (NUR) and the N net translocation rate (NTR) from the rhizome to the aerial part. These two indexes equalled zero when plants ceased to grow. Otherwise, the Cd-NUR increased with Cd supply and the Cd-NTR from rhizome to aerial part showed the highest increment when plants did not grow at all. This suggests different uptake pathways for the two elements, active for nitrogen and passive for cadmium. The Cd concentration and the Cd content markedly increased with all Cd levels, following the order roots ≫ rhizome > culms > leaves. The Cd concentration and the Cd content of aerial organs increased with Cd supply, but increments were highest between 2.25 and 3 mg l⁻¹ Cd. The highest Cd concentrations were recorded in plants grown with 3 mg l⁻¹ Cd and were 41 and 122 mg kg⁻¹, respectively, for the aerial and the hypogeal plant parts. The hypogeal plant part retained most of the cadmium taken up from solution, accounting for approximately 87% of total plant cadmium with the three lower Cd levels, and for 73% with the highest one. The maximum Cd content of the entire plant was achieved with the two higher Cd levels and was approximately 4.7 mg, while the Cd content of the aerial part was highest with 3 mg l⁻¹ Cd (1.2 mg Cd per plant) and that of the hypogeal one with 2.25 mg l⁻¹ Cd (4 mg Cd per plant). The highest aerial content achieved in this experiment was 10-fold that obtained in a previous research when small-sized plants were exposed to the same Cd level.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cannabis sativa</Emphasis> L. growing on heavy metal contaminated soil: growth,cadmium uptake and photosynthesis

The effects of different cadmium concentrations [17 mg(Cd) kg⁻¹(soil) and 72 mg(Cd) kg^{− 1}(soil)] on Cannabis sativa L. growth and photosynthesis were examined. Hemp roots showed a high tolerance to Cd, i.e. more than 800 mg(Cd) kg⁻¹(d.m.) in roots had no major effect on hemp growth, whereas in leaves and stems concentrations of 50 – 100 mg(Cd) kg⁻¹(d.m.) had a strong effect on plant viability and vitality. For control of heavy metal uptake and xylem loading in hemp roots, the soil pH plays a central role. Photosynthetic performance and regulation of light energy consumption were analysed using chlorophyll fluorescence analysis. Seasonal changes in photosynthetic performance were visible in control plants and plants growing on soil with 17 mg(Cd) kg⁻¹(soil). Energy distribution in photosystem 2 is regulated in low and high energy phases that allow optimal use of light and protect photosystem 2 from overexcitation, respectively. Photosynthesis and energy dissipation were negatively influenced by 72 mg(Cd) kg⁻¹(soil). Cd had detrimental effects on chlorophyll synthesis, water splitting apparatus, reaction centre, antenna and energy distribution of PS 2. Under moderate cadmium concentrations, i.e. 17 mg(Cd) kg⁻¹(soil), hemp could preserve growth as well as the photosynthesis apparatus, and long-term acclimation to chronically Cd stress occurred.     

Cadmium accumulation and tolerance of Lagerstroemia indica and Lagerstroemia fauriei (Lythraceae) seedlings for phytoremediation applications

Contamination by heavy metals is one of the most serious environmental problems generated from human activities. Because phytoremediation utilizes plants to uptake contaminants, it could potentially be used to remediate metal-contaminated areas. A pot culture experiment with four levels of cadmium (Cd) (0, 20, 40, and 80 mg of Cd/kg dry soil) was conducted to investigate Cd accumulation and tolerance of roots, shoots, and leaves of Lagerstroemia indica and Lagerstroemia fauriei as well as their potential for phytoremediation. Experimental results indicated that Cd inhibited seedling growth only at the higher Cd exposure concentration (40 and 80 mg/kg). The tolerance index revealed that on average L. indica is more tolerant of Cd than L. fauriei. Moreover, plants in the experiment accumulated Cd differentially. In comparisons between L. indica and L. fauriei, the leaves of the former had higher concentrations of Cd, while the roots of latter had higher concentrations of Cd. Furthermore, the roots, shoots, and leaves had very high bioaccumulation factors that markedly exceeded 1.0 (exceptional only in shoots of 80 mg/kg for L. fauriei), indicating that the seedlings extracted Cd from the soil. The leaves' translocation factor of L. indica was greater than 1.0, being significantly higher than that of L. fauriei. Chlorophyll a, Chlorophyll b and total declined in both species significantly as Cd concentrations exceeded 40 mg/kg in the soil. In contrast, lipid peroxidation and proline content was found to increase with increasing Cd concentration. From the assessments of biomass production, Cd tolerance and uptake L. indica and L. fauriei could stand as excellent species for remediating Cd-contaminated soils.     

不同类型土壤小麦-水稻轮作体系施用含重金属污泥的环境效应

采用贵州黄壤、石灰土和浙江水稻土,通过盆栽试验探讨了在3种土壤上施用含不同浓度重金属的污泥对小麦、水稻生长及锌(Zn)镉(Cd)吸收性的影响.结果表明： 不同土壤施用同种污泥所产生的重金属污染风险不同,在黄壤和水稻土上施用高浓度重金属污泥对作物的污染风险较高.一次施用Zn、Cd浓度分别为1789、8.47 mg·kg-1的污泥1.6%,使黄壤小麦籽粒中Zn、Cd浓度分别达109、0.08 mg·kg-1;第二次施用后种植水稻,糙米中Zn、Cd浓度达52.0、0.54 mg·kg-1.而施用污泥后石灰性土壤的两种作物其可食部分均无重金属污染风险.土壤醋酸铵提取态Zn是影响麦粒和糙米中Zn浓度的主要因素,而土壤醋酸铵提取态Cd对麦粒和糙米中Cd浓度无明显影响.施用高浓度重金属污泥使3种土壤Zn、Cd全量显著提高,且两次施用后土壤全量Zn均超过国家土壤环境质量二级标准.