Capability of Brassica napus to Accumulate Cadmium, Zinc and Copper from Soil

Abstract

The capability of Brassica napus to accumulate soil cadmium, zinc and copper was investigated. The removals of cadmium, zinc and copper from soil by plants, in the fifth week of growth, were calculated by multiplying the heavy metal concentrations by the vegetable biomass production. Plants were cultivated in pots on artificially contaminated soil (50 mg/kg Cd, 600 mg/kg Zn and 600 mg/kg Cu). In contaminated soil, Brassica napus did not show any upper threshold to the absorption of Cd and Zn, hence the removal of these metals from soil was higher than that of the control. In contrast, Cu absorption was poor and the removal of copper from soil did not differ between contaminated soil and control. The results showed that Brassica napus would most likely be more effective in removing cadmium and zinc than copper from the soil.