Eight for age species belonging to the Leguminosae and Gramineae families were grown in pots in a coarse textured soil treated with different quantities of Cd (0 to 100 mg kg−1 soil). Even at the lowest Cd concentrations tested i.e. 1 and 2.5 mg Cd kg−1 soil, most species exhibited significant reduction in plant growth, measured as dry matter yields. The relationship between Cd concentration in plant tops (tc) and soil (sc; DTPA-extractable) was expressed by the equation: log (tc) = α + β log (sc). The regression parameters α and β were estimated for each species. Based on the α values. Leguminosae (α = 0.193–0.625) family showed relatively less accumulation of Cd than Gramineae (α = 0.432–0.991). For characterization of Cd accumulation. α values proved more descriptive than β values. Forage species belonging to the Leguminosae family proved relatively more sensitive to Cd than those belonging to the Gramineae family.
Accumulation, cadmium, forage species, toxicity
