Pot Experiment on Cadmium Uptake by Brassica juncea (L.) Czern. and Brassica carinata (Ethiopian kale)

Abstract

This study investigated the potential of Brassica juncea (Indian mustard) and Brassica carinata (Ethiopian kale) for phytoremediation of cadmium (Cd) contaminated soils through a pot experiment. Seedlings were grown in soil spiked with 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 ppm Cd levels for one month. Plant growth, Cd accumulation in shoots, bioconcentration factor (BCF), and translocation factor (TF) were evaluated. Both species exhibited tolerance to moderate Cd levels up to 40 mg/kg without significant biomass reduction. At 10-25 μM Cd, B. juncea showed 37-47% higher shoot Cd accumulation compared to B. carinata. The maximum shoot Cd accumulation was 175 μg for B. juncea and 115 μg for B. carinata at 20 μM Cd. TF values close to 1 indicated efficient root-to-shoot Cd translocation below 25 μM Cd for both species. BCF, a key phytoremediation indicator, ranged from 3.2-4.6 for B. juncea and 4.94-7.27 for B. carinata at Cd levels below 40 mg/kg. Modeling suggested B. carinata could remediate soil from 10 to 0.3 mg/kg Cd in 8.5 years with 24 t/ha biomass, compared to 13 years for B. juncea. The findings demonstrate that both Brassica species demonstrated promising phytoremediation potential for moderately Cd-polluted soils, with B. carinata exhibiting slightly better performance.