Physiological response of plants and cadmium accumulation in heads of two cultivars of white cabbage

Plants of the Brassicaceae family are considered useful for phytoremediation owing to their tolerance to high concentrations of heavy metals, which may be hyperaccumulated in the tissues. Cabbage seems to be a useful phytoextractor because of the high biomass concentrated in the head and cabbage cultivation technologies which ensure high yield. In a pot experiment, the response of plantlets of two cabbage cultivars: Ditmarska Najwczeœniejsza (DN) and Kamienna G3owa (KG) to 10 and 40 mg Cd kg–1 DM of soil (Cd10 and Cd40, respectively) was studied. In addition, the content of Cd in the heads after the growing season was assayed. It was established that the Cd-induced stress was temporary and did not prevent head formation by cabbage plants. Higher leaf membrane leakiness and lower chlorophyll content, which were noticed during the 3rd week of vegetation, disappeared by the 8th week. Cd stimulated production of glucosinolates by plants. The