Adaptive ability of different varieties of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) to cadmium and lead accumulation

In the field experiments the authors estimated the activity of Cd and Pb accumulation and the degree of tolerance to them of different varieties of leaf vegetable crops (lettuce and spinach) to action of various soil concentrations of these metals. The lettuce and spinach kinds with high adaptive ability to accumulation of heavy metals were revealed. The authors determined also the critical content of Pb and Cd in soil under which the protective mechanisms of plant do not work and isolated the most and the least adaptive to the Cd and Pb action the varieties which may by used in subsequent breeding work. The high efficiency of an application of artificial created pollution of the environment for the selection of metal tolerant varieties and the validity of the use of cumulative rate of accumulation (КΣH) for an estimation of genetic determination of varieties' reaction on heavy metals influence were shown. This method is universal enough and may be used for development of the principles of ecological breeding.