Abstract
Corchorus olitorius, a leafy vegetable with high nutrient content, is normally collected from the wild, in areas that are prone to cadmium (Cd) toxicity. However, studies on how Cd accumulation affects vegetative and reproductive traits of leafy vegetables in South Africa are limited. Therefore, this study tested the effect of Cd accumulation on C. olitorius morphological traits. Plants were grown under various Cd concentrations and studied for variation in vegetative and reproductive traits as well as accumulation in roots and shoots. Plants exposed to 5 mg/kg Cd had longer roots with higher moisture content, heavier fresh and dried stems, as well as dried leaves, which indicated a hormetic effect in C. olitorius after exposure to low Cd concentration in the soil. Again, plants treated with 5–10 mg/kg Cd, accumulated toxic (>10 mg/kg dry weight) Cd within shoots and roots, with minor morphological alterations. Plants could survive, with some morphological defects, Cd toxicity up to 20 mg/kg in soil. Only plants exposed to 5 mg/kg could reproduce. Cd accumulation increased with an increase in the soil, with higher accumulation in shoots. The translocation factor was high (>1) in all Cd concentrations. In conclusion, C. olitorius can accumulate toxic Cd, and yet grow and reproduce either normally or better than the control. The proposed dose of Cd that induces hormesis in C. olitorius is 5 mg/kg in the soil. Therefore, C. olitorius is suitable for phytoremediation of Cd contaminated soils, but unsafe for consumption when it grows in such areas.
Highlights
Corchorus olitorius L., commonly known as Jute mallow, is an annual erect herb that belongs to the Malvaceae family [1], which grows on roadsides [2], fields, and home gardens [3]
Plants from soil treated with 5 mg/kg germinated better than those exposed to 20 mg/kg, whereas stems of plants treated with 10 mg/kg had better moisture content than those of plants grown under 5 mg/kg Cd concentration
Stem fresh and dry mass, leaf dry mass, and root moisture content were stimulated by exposure to 5 mg/kg Cd, but were inhibited at high concentrations, confirming a hormetic response towards Cd toxicity
Summary
Corchorus olitorius L., commonly known as Jute mallow, is an annual erect herb that belongs to the Malvaceae family [1], which grows on roadsides [2], fields, and home gardens [3]. Corchorus olitorius leaves possess antidiabetic, antioxidant, and hepatoprotective properties, and they are used for different ailments in folk medicine [4]. Cadmium (Cd) is a divalent cation and a metallic trace element that is non-essential to living organisms [6,7], but can be absorbed by roots and transported to the aboveground parts of plants [8]. Cd is a non-biodegradable and persistent heavy metal that can either occur naturally through volcanic eruption or deposited into the soil as a result of many anthropogenic activities [6]. Cadmium is one of the most widespread heavy metals that can accumulate in the food chain and become highly toxic to humans and animals consuming plants
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