Cadmium (Cd) Accumulation and Partition in Above Terminal Node Tissues and Its Use in Selecting Low-Cd Wheat Genotypes.

Abstract

Introduction

Cadmium is a toxic heavy metal and consumption of Cd-containing food can lead to osteoporosis, kidney dysfunction, and increase risk of diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, and infertility. Food ingestion is a major source of Cd exposure for non-smokers. Wheat (Triticum aesivum L.) can have high Cd concentration in grain when grown in high-Cd soil. Breeding could be a promising way to reduce Cd concentration in wheat grain.

Aims

1) Assess the accuracy of selecting low-Cd wheat lines during grain filling using tissue Cd concentration;

2) Compare the differences of low- and high-Cd winter wheat genotypes in terms of Cd accumulation and partition in above terminal node tissues;

Methods

Above terminal node tissues were sample from two high and two low-Cd accumulating hard winter wheat genotypes at 2, 3, 4,  and 5 weeks after anthesis and in grain at maturity. Tissue and grain mineral concentrations were measured using an Agilent 7500cx inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).

Results

Selecting low-Cd wheat lines at grain maturity gave the highest selection accuracy, followed by the selection at 3, 4, and 5 weeks after anthesis. Remobilized Cd could be a major source for grain Cd. High-Cd genotypes remobilized more Cd from vegetative tissues than low-Cd genotypes.

Keywords:  winter wheat, heavy metals, nutrition, Ca, Zn, Fe