Effects of added Cd on Cd uptake by oilseed rape and pai-tsai co-cropping

The experiment was designed to study whether the decrease of Cd in the rhizosphere of Zhongyouza I, one breed of oilseed rapes (Brassica junica) that can hyperaccumulate cadmium from the soil, can improve the living condition of less Cd-tolerant plant pai-tsai (Brassia chinensis) with their roots permitted to intermingle and develop coincident rhizosphere. The extent of rhizosphere interactions between Zhongyouza I and pai-tsai was controlled by different root barriers, or without barrier. The results show that in the 10 and 20 mg/kg Cd treated soils, pai-tsai gets higher shoot mass and less Cd accumulation in its shoot than in the barrier treatments or in the mono cultures, when its roots are permitted to intermingle with those of Zhongyouza I. Meanwhile, soil decontamination rates of Zhongyouza I are not affected much by co-cropping with pai-tsai, they are 80.0% and 91.8% of that in the mono cultures of Zhongyouza I, respectively. However, the co-cropping method in meliorating the living condition of pai-tsai is not obvious when Cd concentration in soil reaches 40 mg/kg, and soil decontamination rate decreases to 0.14, which is 58.3% of that in the mono culture. These results indicate that the oilseed rape Zhongyouza I may alleviate Cd toxicity of surrounding less-tolerant species, and its ability of phytoremediation is not affected much at the same time, especially in the middle polluted soil.