Cadmium accumulation among 12 cultivars of radish (Raphanus sativus) and 10 cultivars of carrot (Daucus carota var. sativa) was studied in a Cd-contaminated soil. The Cd concentration in the edible parts of radish and carrot ranged from 0.04 to 0.14 and 0.14 to 0.19 mg kg(-1) fresh weight, respectively. All the tested carrot cultivars and 33% of the tested radish cultivars exceeded the Chinese allowable limit for Cd. The study showed a greater scope for selecting radish cultivars than for carrot to avoid the excess of the Cd limit when grown on lightly contaminated soils.