With the development of industrialization and subsequent pollution, there is increasing need to develop methods that would limit the accumulation of heavy metals in plants and therefore in the foodchain. In case of cadmium (Cd) pollution, one of potentially useful methods may be fertilisation of plants with zinc sulphate (ZnSO4). The purpose of the study was to measure the concentration of Cd in plant tissues of garlic (Allium sativum L.) and to evaluate differences between Cd uptake between four commercially available cultivars. In addition, the effect of fertilization with ZnSO4 on Cd and zinc (Zn) concentration in garlic was determined. For each of the four cultivars and for each treatment five plants with rhizosphere soil were sampled in the field, where plants were cultivated. Dried, milled and homogenised samples (roots, leaves and cloves) were wet digested and concentrations of Cd, Zn and sulphur (S) were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The available fractions of Zn and Cd were extracted from rhizosphere soil with ammonium acetate and their concentrations measured with ICP-MS. The highest concentration of Cd was measured in the roots, then in the cloves and the least in the leaves. There was significant difference in Cd concentrations in cloves between cultivars. Fertilization with ZnSO4 showed a declining trend in the concentration of Cd in the cloves, but there was no significant effect on the concentration of Zn in the cloves. ZnSO4 fertilization has proven to be a viable agronomic method in the control of Cd uptake.
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