Cadmium and Zinc Accumulation in Maize Grain as Affected by Cultivars and Chemical Fixation Amendments

A field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of soil amendments (lime, nano-Si foliar solution and used diatomite) on the growth and metal uptake of three maize (Zea mays L.) cultivars grown in a Cd and Zn-contaminated acidic soil. The addition of lime significantly increased the maize grain yields and decreased the concentrations of Zn and Cd in the grains and shoots of maize when compared with the control. Among the three maize cultivars, Yunshi-5 accumulated the lowest amounts of Cd and Zn in the grain. The concentrations of Zn and Cd in the grain of Yunshi-5 conformed to the Chinese feed standards. These data revealed that a combination of low metal-accumulating maize and chemical fixation could effectively provide a barrier to prevent metals from entering the human food chain.