Effects of Cadmium on the Content, Accumulation, and Translocation of Nutrients in Bean Plant Cultivated in Nutritive Solution

Abstract

The effects of increasing dosages of cadmium (Cd) on the content, accumulation, and translocation of macronutrients and micronutrients in different parts of bean plant (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) are reported. Plants were cultivated in Clark's nutritive solution and submitted to 0 to 0.5 mg L−1 of Cd. Experiments were built using an entirely randomized, statistical arrangement, and measurements were performed after 60 days of exposure to Cd. Inclusion of Cd in solution decreases the contents of nutrients in bean plants, except phosphorus (P) and zinc (Zn) in fruits, sulfur (S) in root, and copper (Cu) in fruits and root. Also, accumulation of nutrients in all parts of plant was reduced, as was the the translocation index for the following nutrients: potassium, calcium, and S in fruits and Cu in shoots. Overall, this work can serve as a template study to evaluate the effects of cadmium on bean plant nutrition.