Cadmium (Cd) accumulation in wheat genotypes of spring bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and spring durum wheat (Triticum turgidum var. durum) was studied in field trials every third week throughout the growing season. The study was carried out in Sweden on three different soils and during two growing seasons. The results showed that the genetic variation in shoot and grain Cd accumulation remained consistent, regardless of soil type or growing season. In addition, it was possible to select the genotype that accumulated most Cd already at the beginning of the growing season, since this genotype also accumulated most Cd in the vegetative tissues of the shoot. These results indicate that it is possible to identify genotypes that accumulate most Cd in the grain at an early plant development stage. High Cd concentrations in the shoot were also observed to give high Cd concentrations in the grain. This indicates that the regulatory mechanism for grain Cd accumulation is not located in the shoot, but in the root or as a feature of root Cd uptake. The soil material and the soil solution at all three sites were analysed for strongly bound Cd (as extracted with 2 m HNO 3 ), more easily plant-available Cd (as extracted with ammonium lactate), pH, organic matter, clay content and conductivity. None of these parameters was clearly correlated to the Cd concentration in the grain.

No abstract