Abstract
The necessity of artificial irrigation due to arid climate of Pakistan and the shortage of canal water force the use of raw
industrial effluents to grow crops, especially around big cities. The sewage contains heavy metal ions, including cadmium.
The cultivars of the same crop do differ in their ability to absorb and translocate Cd. Four varieties of mungbean were
investigated for their responses to Cd concentration, translocation from roots to shoots and bioaccumulation. The varieties
NM-28, NM-54, NM-92 and NM-98 were tested in hydroponics with Cd application rates of 0.04, 0.08, 0.13, 0.17, 0.22 mM.
For root dry weight varieties ranked in the order as NM-98 > NM-54 > NM-92 > NM-28, for shoot dry weight the order was
NM-54 > NM-98 > NM-28 ~ NM-92. The NM-28 had the highest root Cd concentration followed by NM-92, NM-54 and
NM-98. For shoot Cd concentration the varieties ranked as NM-28 > NM-54 > NM-92 > NM-98. All varieties retained most
of the absorbed Cd in their roots and also these all have the ability to accumulate Cd in their roots and shoots. For root and
shoot Cd bioaccumulation factor, the varieties were found to be in the decreasing order as NM-28 > NM-92 > NM-54 > NM-
98. From the results, NM-98 was found to be a good source for future mungbean breeding programs with the aim to produce
low Cd accumulating varieties. It may also be recommended when mandatory to cultivate mungbean on slightly Cd
contaminated areas while NM-28 seemed better to avoid under such conditions.
