Heavy Metal Accumulation and Growth of Seedlings of Five Forest Species as Influenced by Soil Cadmium Level

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Abstract
White pine (Pinus strobus L.), loblolly pine (P. taeda L.), yellow poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L.), yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britt.), and choke cherry (Prunus virginiana L.) were grown from seeds in the greenhouse for 17 weeks. Plainfield fine sand, with pretreatment cadmium, lead, copper, and zinc concentrations of 0.6, 11.4, 2.0, and 20.6 ppm, respectively, was used as the growth medium. This soil was amended with CdCl2 to produce cadmium addition levels of 0, 15, and 100 ppm. Shoot elongation and root and shoot dry weights were reduced with increasing levels of soil cadmium. All species exhibited increased cadmium content in roots and shoots in response to increased soil cadmium levels; however, content varied according to species. Root and shoot accumulations of lead, copper, and zinc also varied with species as well as cadmium concentration in the soil.
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