Influence of sodium nitrilotriacetate (NTA) and citric acid on phenolic and organic acids in Brassica juncea grown in excess of cadmium

Brassica juncea cv. 426308 was grown in soils containing 150 mg Cd2+ kg−1 soil. After 38 days, the soil was amended with two rates of citric acid or NTA (10 and 20 mmol kg−1 soil). Control soil was not amended with chelates. Plants were harvested during growth, immediately before and seven days after chelate addition. Shoot composition of organic and phenolic acids and shoot Cd2+ concentration were determined. Cadmium concentration remained constant during the growth and increased following NTA and citric acid amendments depending on chelate type and concentration. The highest increments in Cd2+ were measured after the addition of NTA. Compared to the control, 10 and 20 NTA-treated plants showed two- and three-fold increases, respectively.At 150 mg Cd2+ kg−1 soil the amount of organic and phenolic acids in the leaves of B. juncea was always higher than that detected in the control. A direct correlation between organic acid concentration and cadmium content was detected both during growth and after chelate addition. On the contrary, the amount of phenols seemed to be correlated with the metal content only in non-amended and NTA-treated plants. The 10 and 20 citric acid additions caused 45% and 90% increases in shoot phenolic acids although cadmium content rose to a smaller extent. The inhibition of citrate synthase and the entrance of phosphoenolpyruvate in shikimate pathway leading to the formation of aromatic compounds might come into play. The increase in phenylalanine ammonialyase activity following citric acid amendments suggested this metabolic response.