Comparisons of cadmium tolerance and accumulation at seedling stage in wheat varieties grown in different decades in China

Cadmium (Cd) tolerance and accumulation in wheat varieties were investigated at seedling stage under a controlled environmental condition. The 46 leading wheat varieties cultivated from the 1950s to 2000s in China were treated at the three-leaf stage with a 50 μM CdCl2 solution for 24 days. Growth and photosynthesis parameters were measured and the Cd-tolerance index (ratio of a given parameter under Cd treatment to that of the control) was determined. Cd accumulation in shoots and roots and Cd translocation were also determined. It was found that Cd tolerance and accumulation of these wheat varieties varied over the different decades. Principal components analysis (PCA) showed that wheat varieties in 1950s and 1980s were tolerant while varieties from the last decade were sensitive to Cd stress. Wheat varieties in 1960s and 1970s were particularly tolerant to Cd stress for the parameters of shoot height, secondary root numbers, net photosynthesis and transpiration rate while the varieties in the 1990s were sensitive to Cd stress for shoot dry weight and root dry weight. Comparing each decade to the average Cd translocation ratio from the roots to the shoots for the whole period, the varieties from the 1950s and 1960s had a higher translocation ratio, while varieties in the 1970s were below that average. Varieties from the 1980s to 2000s showed an average translocation ratio. Using cluster analysis (CA), Shannongfu 63, Yangmai 1 and Yangmai 158 were the most Cd-tolerant varieties in which Cd translocation ratio were low, and Yumai 18 and Huaimai 20 were the most Cd-sensitive varieties in which Cd translocation ratio were high. The results indicating that wheat varieties from different decades were different in Cd tolerance and accumulation, and could be useful for breeding wheat for Cd stress tolerance.