phytoextraction

heavy metal

bioconcentration factor

chelate-enchancement

contaminated soil

chelate enhancement

bioconcentration

factor

Pollution

Plants for soil reclamation

Phytoremediation

Heavy metals contamination of soil

This article discusses the environmental concerns regarding soil contamination by heavy metals and the possibility of growing a high biomass-yielding crop (i.e., rapeseed) as a tool of phytoremediation. The aim of our research was to investigate the growth parameters and the capacity of rapeseed to accumulate Cd, Cu, and Zn from the contaminated soil and to investigate the effects of the chelants (EDTA, EDDS) as potential heavy metal mobility-enhancing agents. A pot experiment was performed under greenhouse conditions where rapeseed was grown on heavy metal-contaminated soil taken from former septic drain fields. Chelants were applied twice using doses of 3 mmol kg^-1 of wet soil weight. Plants from contaminated soil produced more biomass and heavier seeds. The highest Cd concentrations were detected in rapeseed stems and leaves: Cu in roots and Zn in seeds and stems with leaves. Rapeseed in some cases exhibited translocation factor values for single plant parts greater than unity, whereas the bioconcentration factor was always below unity. Detected concentrations of Cd, Cu, and Zn in the biomass indicate that rapeseed may be considered an excluder rather than accumulator. Chelant application did not provide the expected enhancing effect on heavy metal uptake by rapeseed.