Bioavailability and Accumulation of Cadmium and Zinc by Sedum plumbizincicola after Liming of an Agricultural Soil Subjected to Acid Mine Drainage

A glasshouse pot experiment was conducted to study the effects of liming on plant growth and zinc (Zn) and cadmium (Cd) accumulation by Sedum plumbizincicola in a heavy-metal-contaminated acidified paddy soil. Lime application significantly increased the soil pH, which reached a maximum of 5.53 after addition of 4.0 g kg1 lime to soil, about 1.4 units more than that of the control. Sedum plumbizincicola grew larger after lime application but aboveground biomass did not increase significantly with increasing soil pH. Liming significantly reduced shoot Zn and Cd concentrations and uptake except at the lowest lime application rate (0.5 g kg1 lime to soil). This indicates that S. plumbizincicola can grow well in acidic soil at a soil pH of 4.15, and application of lime did not increase plant heavy-metal extraction. Consequently, it is promising to use this plant for Cd and Zn phytoextraction from agricultural soils polluted with acid and metals.