Analyzing Populous Seedling Resistance towards Heavy Metal Contamination

Cadmium is an unnecessary and toxic element for plants which enters the soil through different human activities. Heavy elements such as cadmium produced by urban, industrial and agricultural main activities lead to the contamination of water resources. On the other hand, given the increasing need for afforestation in Iran, it is necessary to conduct a comprehensive research on fast-growing Populous species and the role of these plants in absorbing heavy metals, including cadmium. For this reason, using Populous seedlings in two control and contaminated areas, the accumulation rate of cadmium metal in the air and ground areas was tested. After the data collection, results were calculated using ANOVA test. The cadmium metal accumulation rate in the contaminated areas of the leave, stem and root is 86 mg/kg, 94 mg/kg and 67 mg/kg, respectively and also the amount of cadmium metal in soil in the depths of 0-10 cm and 10-20 cm is 43 mg/kg and 28 mg/kg, respectively. Based on the results obtained from the research, Populous is a species relatively suitable for the accumulation of cadmium in the contaminated soils.