[Chemical characteristics of the rhizosphere soil of water spinach cultivars differing in Cd accumulation].

A rhizobox experiment was conducted to investigate the chemical characteristics of the rhizosphere soils of two water spinach cultivars differing in Cd accumulation, QLQ (a low-Cd cultivar) and T308 (a high-Cd cultivar). The results showed that the diethylenetriamine pentacetate acid extractable Cd (DTPA-Cd) concentration in the rhizos-phere soil of QLQ was significantly higher than that of T308 (P < 0.05). pH and Eh in the rhizosphere soil of QLQ were significantly higher than those of T308 (P < 0.05), while EC was opposite. Contents of organic matter and dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the rhizosphere soil of QLQ were both higher than those of T308. In contaminated soil, the composition and concentration of low molecular weight organic acids in the rhizosphere between the two cultivars were both different. Acetic, propionic, citric and fumaric acids were detected in the rhizosphere soil of T308, and only citric and fumaric acids were detected in that of QLQ. The total concentration of low molecular weight organic acids in the rhizosphere soil of QLQ (1.93 nmol x g(-1) DM) was lower than that of T308 (15.11 nmol x g(-1) DM) (P < 0.01). Compared with the high-Cd cultivar (T308), the chemical characteristics of the rhizosphere soil of the low-Cd cultivar (QLQ) were obviously distinct, i. e., the relatively higher content of organic matter, the lower content of low molecular weight organic acids with a specific composition, less acidification of soil, and a lower ability in reduction, correspondingly lowering the mobility of Cd in soil and reducing Cd accumulation by plant.