Cadmium Tolerance and Accumulation in Wheat Differ in Ploidy and Genome at Seedling Stage

Scientist D. Ci of the Nanjing Agricultural University and colleagues investigated the tolerance and accumulation of the heavy metal cadmium (Cd) in wheat varieties with different ploidy and genome. The researchers measured the growth and photosynthesis and the ratio of these two parameters in the 24 wheat varieties studied. Cd concentrations in shoots and roots, Cd accumulation in shoots (SCA) and Cd translocation (ratio of SCA to total Cd accumulation in plants) of the wheat varieties differing in ploidies generally decreased from octoploid to diploid, except for Aegilops triuncialis. It was observed that the Cd tolerance of the varieties studied exhibit different Cd tolerance based on their ploidy and genomes at seedling stage. However, there were no significant differences in the growth and photosynthesis parameters of the different ploidies.

After various analysis were conducted, the researchers found that Triticum boeoticum Boiss was the most Cd-tolerant variety exhibiting low Cd translocation rates. On the other hand, T. aestivum cv. Huixianhong and Jinghui 1 were identified as the most Cd-sensitive varieties which also exhibited high Cd translocation rates.

The full article in the Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science is available for subscribers at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1439-037X.2010.00417.x/full.