Toxic effects of heavy metals and their accumulation in vegetables grown in a saline soil

A pot experiment was carried out to evaluate the effects of heavy metals on biomass, chlorophyll, and antioxidative enzyme activities of eight vegetables grown in a saline soil. The heavy metal accumulation in vegetables was also investigated. Results show that biomass and chlorophyll content of crops decreased with the increase of heavy metal concentration while peroxidase activity increased at low concentration and decreased at high concentration. The total translocation factor values in the eight vegetables are in order: water spinach > Chinese kale > pakchoi > edible amaranth > leaf mustard > Chinese flowering cabbage > green capsicum > tomato. Tomato, which is the most salt tolerant crop of the eight vegetables, also is the most heavy metals resistant studied in terms of growth, peroxidase activity and heavy metals translocation. Salt tolerant fruit vegetables such as tomato might be potential crops for the safe use of saline soils polluted with heavy metals. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.