Recently, the concept of pollution-safe cultivars (PSCs) was proposed to minimize the influx of pollutants to the human food chain. Variations in lead (Pb) uptake and translocation among Chinese cabbage (Brassica pekinensis L.) cultivars were investigated in a pot-culture experiment and a field-culture experiment to screen out Pb-PSCs for food safety. The results of the pot-culture experiment showed that shoot Pb concentrations under two Pb treatments (500 and 1500 mg kg−1) varied significantly (p < 0.05) between cultivars, with average values of 3.01 and 6.87 mg kg−1, respectively. Enrichment factors (EFs) and translocation factors (TFs) in cultivars were less than 0.50 and varied significantly (p < 0.05) between cultivars. Shoot Pb concentrations in 12 cultivars under treatment T1 (500 mg kg−1) were lower than 2.0 mg kg−1. The field-culture experiment further confirmed Qiuao, Shiboqiukang and Fuxing 80 as Pb-PSCs, which were suitable to be cultivated in low-Pb (<382.25 mg kg−1) contaminated soils and harmless to human health as foods.

Keywords: Chinese cabbage (Brassica pekinensis L.); Lead pollution; Pollution-safe cultivars (PSCs); Genotypic variation; Food safety