Abstract
Application of synthetic chelates such as ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) has been proposed as an alternative technology for phytoextraction of contaminated soils. In a pot experiment, the effects of EDTA application at three growing stages on growth and Cd uptake and accumulation of Solanum nigrum L. were investigated. The results showed that the 0.1 g/kg EDTA treatment was the most effective treatment, in which the concentrations of Cd in stems and leaves increased significantly compared with the control (Cd only), and the accumulation of Cd in shoots increased by 51.6%, 61.1% and 35.9% at the seedling, flowering and mature stages, respectively. Moreover, at the flowering stage, the height, dry shoot biomass and Cd accumulation in the plants reached the maximum, which were 18.9 cm, 1.8 g/plant and 292.8 microg/pot, respectively. However, higher rate of EDTA (0.5 g/kg) could reduce the plant biomass and the total amount of Cd removed. The results indicated that moderate rate of EDTA applied at the flowering stage would be important to enhance phytoremediation efficiency in practice.
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