The Effect of Ca-Bentonite Aplication on Cadmium Uptake and Shoot Dry Matter of Bread Wheat

Cadmium(Cd) is a non-essential heavy metal that is highly toxic even at very low concentrations. Although Cd is a non-essential trace metal, when reached to high levels in agricultural soils, it can be easily absorbed by plants. Cadmium accumulation in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and its subsequent transfer to food chain is an important problem worldwide. Bentonite is a material essentially composed by montmorillonite and related clay minerals of the smectite group. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of bentonite (0, 3, 6 and 12%) application on Cd uptake of bread wheat growing in high Cd (0, 5 and 10 mg/kg soil) application. Plants were grown under greenhouse conditions acid soil. The experiment was conducted randomized block design with three replicates. The results revealed that shoot dry weight of bread was significantly increased with increasing doses of bentonite applications. While the dry weight of shoot without bentonite application was 480 mg/plant, it increased approximately 2 fold with 12% bentonite application. Cadmium concentration with the bentonite of control application decreased 4 times from 20.74 ppm to 5.07 ppm with application of 12% bentonite. The results show that Cd toxicity in the shoot was alleviated by bentonite treatment.