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Abstract
Micronutrient uptake and distribution within poppy plants (Papaver somniferum L.) were studied in two pot experiments using a loamy garden soil as substrate. In the first experiment a supplement of increasing cadmium (Cd) concentrations to the substrate and in the second the influence of cultivars and harvest time were studied. At the stage of seed ripening the taproots were already decaying, and the Cd concentration in the shoot reflected the Cd supply in the substrate. In the shoot the highest Cd concentrations were found in seeds. With 24 mg Cd per pot (6 mg kg−1), Cd concentration reached 1.7 mg kg−1.
The four poppy varieties (Edel-Weiss, Marianne, Soma, White Poppy) differed clearly in seed production but reached comparable Cd concentrations of about 1.3 mg kg−1 in the seeds at the second harvest. Seeds made up 2.5 to 12.9% of shoot biomass, but stored 15 to 42% of total Cd in the shoot, which indicates a preferential translocation of Cd into seeds in this plant species.
In addition, Cd supply had a marginal effect on the concentration of micronutrients in seeds and stems + leaves. At the highest Cd supply of 6 mg Cd kg−1 soil a growth reduction of about 25% could be observed.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The author thanks Mrs. H. Michitsch and N. Kopf for their help in chemical analyses and Mrs. R. Pfosser and Mr. G. Sandtner for technical assistance in the pot experiments.