Cadmium (Cd) is one of the most toxic contaminants, causing a lot of harm to environment and the human health. An outdoor pot experiment for 60 days was conducted to study the Cd(II) effects on growth, biomass, physiological properties, Cd uptake, and accumulation in Youngia japonica plants but also to evaluate the effect of Y. japonica growth on enzyme activity of Cd-contamination soils. Generally, the application of Cd(II) less than 120 mg kg-1 stimulated the growth of the plants, whereas at 160 mg kg-1 or higher levels, a significant reduction was observed. For all treatments > 10 mg kg-1 Cd(II) in soil, values of Cd in roots and aboveground parts were more than the critical value of 100 mg kg-1 and reached highest values of 252.51 and 314.29 mg kg-1, respectively. The bioconcentration factors (BCF) and translation factors (TF) for all Cd treatments were more than 1.0, with the former ranging from 1.03 to 5.46 and the later from 1.04 to 1.33. The activities of peroxidase (POD) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), as well as the levels of glutathione (GSH) and proline in Y. japonica plants after exposure to 10-200 mg kg-1 Cd(II) were stimulated, implying that they were defensive guards to the oxidative stress produced by Cd. The urease, dehydrogenase, and alkaline phosphatase activities under low Cd concentrations can be enhanced by planting Y. japonica species but inhibited under high Cd concentrations. Our data provide comprehensive evidence that Y. japonica has the typical properties of a Cd hyperaccumulator and thus may be practically employed to alleviate Cd from contaminated soils.
Keywords: Antioxidant system; Cadmium; Hyperaccumulator; Phytoremediation; Soil enzymatic activity; Youngia japonica (L.) DC.