Genotypic differences of Cd concentration and nutrition traits of 23 main celery cultivars of China in a Cd contaminated greenhouse

Abstract Due to the increasing concerns of heavy metal contamination in greenhouse field, safety production of vegetables especially leafy vegetables was largely limited. In this study, the cadmium (Cd) concentration and major nutrition qualities of 23 main celery cultivars of China were compared in a greenhouse experiment. Great genotypic differences in biomass, cadmium accumulation and nutrition traits were observed. The biomass of cultivars HQ, JZ, JH and SQ were significantly higher than those of the others. And Cd concentration in edible part ranged from 0.53 to 2.56 mg·kg− 1 DW, of which SQ exhibited the lowest Cd concentration. In addition, SQ has the lowest Cd transport factor (TF) and bio-concentration factor (BCF), followed by another genotype LF. Simultaneously, they have relatively higher chlorophyll content and vitamin C concentration, lower cellulose content. Therefore, the two genotypes SQ and LF were selected as promising candidates to grow on a mid Cd-contaminated greenhouse field to achieve safety production. Further correlation analysis showed that Cd concentration in edible part is positively correlated with cellulose content, but negatively correlated with vitamin C concentration. The results of celery variety screening provide a safe production strategy of moderately polluted greenhouse vegetable fields.