Abstract
The cadmium (Cd) and micronutrient contents in grains were used as screening indicators through a pot experiment, and the hierarchical cluster analysis was used to select wheat cultivars with low Cd and high micronutrient contents. The potential human health risks caused by wheat intake and the relationship between the Cd concentration in wheat grains and 12 agronomic traits were also investigated using the risk assessment model and logistic equation fitting, respectively. Yannong-23, Zhongmmai-175, and Luyuan-502, the main wheat cultivars promoted in the Huang-Huai-Hai region of China, were screened for low Cd accumulation and high micronutrient. Health risk assessment results demonstrated that children showed a high noncarcinogenic risk and that adults posed a high carcinogenic risk. The results of the agronomic trait analysis showed that low-Cd accumulation wheat cultivars had high spikelet number and fresh and dry weights of root, stem, and leaf (p < 0.05). Logistic curve fitting results showed that among all agronomic traits, the root dry weight was the most suitable factor with remarkable goodness of fit and showed a significant negative correlation. The Cd concentration in wheat grains could be predicted by the logistic curve equation obtained by fitting this trait. Results provided theoretical support for the safe use of slightly to moderately contaminated farmland, formulation of health risk management policies for different populations, and breeding of high-quality wheat.
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The datasets used or analyzed during the current study were available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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This study was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2017YFD0800900 and 2018YFD0800303), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41977144), the Shandong Provincial Key Research and Development Program of China (2018GSF117024), and the Postdoctoral Science Foundation of Qingdao City (61460079311133).
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LSS and DJL made major contributions to the study conception and design. Material preparation and data analysis were performed by LSS. The collection of samples and the determination of related indicators were completed by LSS, HXM, LN, CYH, HH, and CXY. The first draft of the manuscript was written by LSS, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Li, S., Huang, X., Liu, N. et al. Selection of low-cadmium and high-micronutrient wheat cultivars and exploration of the relationship between agronomic traits and grain cadmium. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 42884–42898 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-18763-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-18763-5