Heavy metal excess in soil represents a critical problem for crop productivity. Among these pollutants, cadmium (Cd) is one of the most dangerous in terms of food-chain contamination. Two durum wheat near-isogenic lines (NILs) and 12 commercial varieties (cultivars Arcangelo, Aureo, Aziziah, Cappelli, Cirillo, Creso, Iride, Maestrale, Parsifal, Russello, Strongfield, and Svevo) of durum wheat were exposed to a nontoxic level of Cd to evaluate its concentration in grains, roots, and shoots, as well as effects on biomass production. Cultivar Iride showed the most interesting behavior because it stored large amounts of Cd in the roots, preventing its translocation to grains. On the contrary, Cirillo and Svevo genotypes were characterized by a high Cd concentration in the grains. Furthermore, a molecular characterization employing the ScOPC20 marker associated with the Cd uptake locus has shown the absence of the expected fragment in the Iride variety and in other varieties characterized by low Cd concentration, as well as the presence of it in high Cd-accumulating cultivars.
Keywords: Triticum turgidum L. subsp. durum; cadmium (Cd); cereals; food safety; genotypic variation; heavy metals; soil pollution.