Responses of Different Pakchoi (Brassica chinensis L.) Cultivars to Cu Toxicity

Two pot experiments with a completely random design and 4 replications were performed in a greenhouse to examine the response difference of 17 cultivars of pakchoi (Brassica chinensis L.) grown in a Cu-spiked and a clean soil to Cu. The response of pakchoi to Cu toxicity varied with the cultivars. The biomass in cultivars of ’Gaogengbai’, ’Siyueman’ and ’Suzhouqing’ were sensitive to soil Cu pollution, but the cultivars of ’Heixinwu’, ’Huoqingcai’ and ’HKcaixin’ were relatively tolerant. When the 17 cultivars of pakchoi grew in clean garden soil, the Cu concentrations in the aboveground part were positively correlated (r = 0.6693) with their root Cu concentrations. However, when they grew in the Cu-spiked soil a highly negative correlation coefficient (r = -0.5376) was obtained in the Cu concentration between the aboveground part and the root. This meant that the Cu tolerant cultivars had a weak ability to transfer Cu from their root to their aboveground part, and therefore stored much more Cu in their r