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Accumulation and translocation of heavy metals in the canola (Brassica napus L.)—soil system in Yangtze River Delta, China

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Abstract

Aims and methods

Concentrations of heavy metals such as Cd, As, Hg, Pb, Cr, Cu, Zn and Ni in different tissues (seeds, roots and shoots) of the mature canola (Brassica napus L.) plants and in the associated rhizosphere soils from Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region of China, were determined to evaluate the heavy metals’ pollution in the soils and the canola seeds, and to discuss their accumulation and translocation characteristics in canola plants. At the same time, the phytoextraction potential of the canola plant for the above heavy metals was theoretically calculated and discussed on the basis of above measured data.

Results

The results showed that the concentration ranges of Cd, As, Hg, Pb, Cr, Cu, Zn and Ni in the rhizosphere soils were 0.115–0.481, 3.40–20.5, 0.069–0.682, 9.92–27.4, 46.8–86.6, 17.7–253.3, 65.2–511.7 and 16.0–37.8 mg kg−1, respectively. The concentrations of Cu, Zn and Hg at some sampling sites exceeded the 2nd grade threshods of Chinese national environmental quality standard for soils. The potential ecological risk of heavy metals in the canola rhizosphere soils decreased in the order of Zhejiang > Shanghai > Jiangsu provinces. The concentration ranges of above heavy metals in the canola seeds were 0.032–0.067, 0.002–0.005, 0.001–0.005, 0.053–0.165, 0.191–0.855, 3.01–13.20, 34.82–96.95 and 0.343–2.86 mg kg−1, respectively, with Cu and Zn at some sampling sites exceeding the permissible concentrations in foods of China. Heavy metals’ concentrations in canola seeds didn’t increase with their increasing concentrations in the rhizosphere soils. The bioconcentration factors (BCFs) of most heavy metals in the canola seeds decreased with their increasing concentrations in the associated rhizosphere soils. The average BCFs of heavy metals decreased in the order of Zn (0.488)>Cd (0.241)>Cu (0.145)>Ni (0.038)>Hg (0.021)>Pb (0.005)=Cr (0.005)>As (0.000) in the canola seeds, Cd (1.550)>Cu (0.595)>Zn (0.422)>Hg (0.138)>Ni (0.085)>Pb (0.080)>As (0.035)>Cr (0.031) in the roots, and Cd (0.846)>Zn (0.242)>Cu (0.205)>Hg (0.159)>Ni (0.031)>Pb (0.025)>As (0.012)>Cr (0.007) in the shoots, respectively. The accumulation capacity for most of the above heavy metals in the mature canola tissues was root > shoot > seed, with the exceptions of seed > root > shoot for Zn and shoot > root > seed for Hg. Except Hg from root to shoot and Zn from root to seed, translocation factors (TFs) of above heavy metals were lower than 1.0.

Conclusions

The concentrations, BCFs and TFs of above heavy metals in the canola tissues indicated that the investigated canola plants did not meet the criteria of hyperaccumulators for the above heavy metals. The phytoextracton potential of the studied canola plants for the above heavy metals from the polluted soils was very limited. It would take 920, 3,170 and 3,762 years (assuming two crops per year) to reduce the initial soil Zn, Cu and Hg concentrations, respectively, from the most polluted soil concentrations to the 2nd grade thresholds of Chinese national environmental quality standard for soils.

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Abbreviations

YRD:

Yangtze River Delta

TOC:

Total organic carbon

TN:

Total nitrogen

TP:

Total phosphorus

BCF:

Bioconcentration factor

TF:

Translocation factor

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the project of Evaluation of Regional Ecological Geochemistry in Changjiang River basin by China Geological Survey ([2008] GZTR02-01), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 40625012). Professor B. Huang in the Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences was gratefully acknowledged for reviewing this paper prior to submission.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Surficial Geochemistry, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China

    Ruilian Yu, Junfeng Ji, Yinxian Song & Cheng Wang

  2. Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Huaqiao University, Xiamen, 361021, China

    Ruilian Yu

  3. College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, China

    Xuyin Yuan

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  1. Ruilian Yu
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  2. Junfeng Ji
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  3. Xuyin Yuan
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  4. Yinxian Song
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  5. Cheng Wang
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Correspondence to Junfeng Ji.

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Responsible Editor: Juan Barcelo.

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Yu, R., Ji, J., Yuan, X. et al. Accumulation and translocation of heavy metals in the canola (Brassica napus L.)—soil system in Yangtze River Delta, China. Plant Soil 353, 33–45 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-011-1006-5

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