Cadmium entering soil from various sources is a very serious problem for plant and animal growth and development when it participates in food chain. Particularly hyperaccumulator plants should be investigated for phytoremediation of cadmium contaminated agricultural lands so that it is a cheap, efficient and environmentally friendly method. For this purpose, Cd hyperaccumulation potential of Tagetes patula L. plant was investigated. The effects of increasing Cd doses (0-5-10-20-40μM) in 8CdSO4.7H2O form on Cd, copper (Cu), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn) and reduced glutathione concentration were investigated in Tagetes patula L. plant growing in hydroponic culture media. Plants were grown under controlled conditions in Hoagland nutrient solution as 3 replications for 15 days. At the end of the experiments, despite the reduction in shoot and root dry weights with the increasing Cd treatments, Cd concentrations and contents increased. Tagetes plants have accumulated eight fold Cd than hyperaccumulation value (100 mg Cd kg-1) in shoots. This result indicated that Tagetes patula L. plant had great potential for phytoremediation to clean up Cd-contaminated soils.
