Sodium chloride salinity reduces Cd uptake by edible amaranth (Amaranthus mangostanus L.) via competition for Ca channels.

Soil salinity is known to enhance cadmium (Cd) accumulation in crops. However, the mechanism by which this occurs independent of the surrounding soil remains unclear. In this study, root adsorption and uptake of salt cations and Cd by edible amaranth under NaCl salinity stress were investigated in hydroponic cultures with 0, 40, 80, 120, and 160mM of NaCl and 27nM Cd. The dominant Cd species in the nutrient solution changed from free Cd(2+) to Cd chlorocomplexes as NaCl salinity increased. High salinity significantly reduced K, Ca, and Cd root adsorption and K, Ca, Mg, and Cd uptake. High salinity decreased root adsorption of Cd by 43 and 58 percent and Cd uptake by 32 and 36 percent in salt-tolerant and salt-sensitive cultivars, respectively. Transformation of Cd from free ion to chlorocomplexes is unlikely to have significantly affected Cd uptake by the plant because of the very low Cd concentrations involved. Application of Ca ion channel blocker significantly reduced Na, K, Ca, Mg, and Cd uptake by the roots, while blocking K ion channels significantly reduced Na and K uptake but not Ca, Mg, and Cd uptake. These results suggest that Na was absorbed by the roots through both Ca and K ion channels, while Cd was absorbed by the roots mainly through Ca ion channels and not K ion channels. Salinity caused a greater degree of reduction in Cd adsorption and uptake in the salt-sensitive cultivar than in the salt-tolerant cultivar. Thus, competition between Na and Cd for Ca ion channels can reduce Cd uptake at very low Cd concentrations in the nutrient solution.