Interactive Effects of Lanthanum and Cadmium on Plant Growth and Mineral Element Uptake in Crisped-Leaf Mustard Under Hydroponic Conditions

Plant growth and mineral element accumulation in Brassica juncea var. crispifolia (crisped-leaf mustard) under exposure to lanthanum (La) and cadmium (Cd) were studied by employing a hydroponic experiment with a complete two-factorial design. Four levels of La (0.05–5.0 mg L⁻¹) and two levels of Cd (1.0 and 10.0 mg L⁻¹) were used in this experiment. Lanthanum did not improve plant growth in this experiment. Addition of La (≥ 1.0 mg L⁻¹) or Cd (≥ 10 mg L⁻¹) to the solution inhibited root elongation. Lanthanum treatments reduced accumulations of iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn) in roots, and Mn in shoots. Lanthanum at ≥ 1.0 mg L⁻¹ limited the Cd translocation from roots to shoots and thus decreased the accumulation of Cd in shoots. Cadmium had no influence on La accumulations in roots, but inhibited the accumulation of La in shoots. The study results suggest that applications of rare earth elements in vegetables would be potentially risky to human health.

Keywords:

• lanthanum
• cadmium
• accumulation
• Brassica juncea var. crispifolia
• mineral elements

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We are grateful to Dr. Shuxin Tu for a critical reading of the manuscript and valuable corrections.

Notes

∗NS–not significant F ratio (P < 0 05)

∗∗NS–not significant F ratio (P < 0 05)

∗∗∗NS–not significant F ratio significant at P < 0.05, 0.01 and 0.001, respectively.