Department of Plant Sciences

We evaluated the shoot dry and fresh matter yield and the accumulation of Zn and Cd in the plant leaves of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) grown in a loam Red-Yellow Latossol (Oxyssol) under the doses 0.0, 0.4, 1.6, 3.2 and 9.6 mg dm-3 Cd. A trial was carried out in a soil enriched with increasing doses of Cd for cultivation of two lettuce cultivars (Mimosa and Regina Verao) with the treatments arranged in a randomized block design with 4 replications. The cultivars Regina Verao (RV) and Mimosa responded differentially to Cd added to soil. The Regina Verao has the greater potential for yield under exogenous high supply of Cd and deals better with high Cd concentrations than Mimosa. Concentrations of Cd in the fresh matter of lettuce younger leaves may be used for monitoring the transference of Cd from soil amendments to lettuce plants.