Author(s)

Tracey Emmerick Takeuchi¹, Arthur James Downer^2*

¹Plant Science Department, California Polytechnic University, Pomona, CA, USA.
²Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California, CA, USA.

Lead (Pb) was detected in potential urban garden soil in Claremont Cali-fornia and was absorbed by radish cultivars and giant red mustard in a bioassay of the contaminated soil. Radish cultivars grown in two soils with two lead salts developed the same lead tissue concentrations. In a subsequent study, Cultivar “Rudolf” accumulated less lead nitrate than cultivars “French Breakfast” and “White Beauty”. Cultivar “Rudolf” grew the least biomass likely accounting for its reduced Pb accumulation. All radish cultivars accumulated more lead when grown in clay vs. sand soil and radish Pb accumulation increased when the concentration of lead was increased in either soil type. The solubility of the lead ion used was not associated with Pb uptake by radish.

Lead, Pb, Radish, Mustard, Soil, Clay Loam, Sandy Loam, Plant Growth Bioassay

Takeuchi, T. and Downer, A. (2019) Lead Absorption by Radish Is Affected by Soil Texture and Cultivar. Open Journal of Soil Science, 9, 65-74. doi: 10.4236/ojss.2019.94004.