Influence of phosphorus application on growth and cadmium uptake of spinach in two cadmium‐contaminated soils

Abstract A pot experiment was conducted to investigate the influence of phosphate (P) application on diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA)–extractable cadmium (Cd) in soil and on growth and uptake of Cd by spinach ( Spinacia oleracea L.). Two soils varying in texture were contaminated by application of five levels of Cd (NO 3 ) 2 (0, 20, 30, 40, and 60 mg Cd kg –1 ). Three levels of KH 2 PO 4 (0, 12, and 24 mg P kg –1 ) were applied to determine immobilization of Cd by P. Spinach was grown for 60 d after seeding. Progressive contamination of soils through application of Cd affected dry‐matter yield (DMY) of spinach shoot differently in the two soils, with 67% reduction of DMY in the sandy soil and 34% in the silty‐loam soil. The application of P increased DMY of spinach from 4.53 to 6.06 g pot –1 (34%) in silty‐loam soil and from 3.54 to 5.12 g pot –1 (45%) in sandy soil. The contamination of soils increased Cd concentration in spinach shoots by 34 times in the sandy soil and 18 times in the silty‐loam soil. The application of P decreased Cd concentration in shoot. The decrease of Cd concentration was higher in the sandy soil in comparison to the silty‐loam soil. Phosphorus application enhanced DMY of spinach by decreasing Cd concentration in soil as well as in plants. The results indicate that Cd toxicity in soil can be alleviated by P application.