Hyperaccumulation of Cadmiumand DNA Changes in Popular Vegetable, Brassica chinensis L.

Brassica chinensis L. is a popular vegetable, especially in Asian dishes. For plant growing with inorganic fertilizer, cadmium (Cd) has been one of the highest metal and health-risk factors included. This research aimed to assess the bioaccumulation of Cd by the plant and its genetic changes. The plant was grown in the soil supplemented by Cd at 0, 15, 30, 60 and 120 mg/kg. The accumulations in the roots, stems and leaves, were analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS), then the Bioconcentration Factor (BCF) and translocation Factor (TF) were calculated. DNA changes were accessed by random Amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) with Genomic Template Stability (GTS) tests. The Cd accumulation in the plant parts after 30 days of the treatments ranged from 80.93 to 5053.48 mg/kg, 35.53 to 2439.61 mg/kg, and 21.21 to 2231.02 mg/kg, respectively. The BCF and TF values ranged from 4.54 to 12.66 and 0.70 to 1.67, respectively. From RAPD fingerprints, the GTS values ranged from 51.34 to 80.96%. At the highest concentration of Cd supplemented (120 mg/kg), the DNA resulted in the highest changes (GTS = 51.34%). These results, including BCF and TF values, also indicated that B. chinensis is a Cd-hyperaccumulator, therefore, consuming the plants growing in the Cd-polluted area is a health risk