Lead Tolerance and Remediation Potential of Four Indocalamus Species in Lead-Contaminated Soil

plants are low-growing shrubby bamboos with growth advantages, such as high biomass and strong resistance, and they are rich in germplasm resources in southern China. This study conducted soil lead (Pb) stress experiments on (Keng) McClure (LA), B.M. Yang (HU), Y.L. Yang and Hsueh (CH) and Wen (LC). Five Pb treatments (0, 500, 1000, 1500 mg·kg Pb, and 1000 mg·kg Pb + 1000 mg·kg ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA)) were established. EDTA was applied to explore the tolerance mechanism of different species after absorbing large amounts of heavy metals. The results were as follows: (1) under Pb treatment, the total relative biomass of LA, HU and LC was 100%; (2) after applying EDTA, the bioconcentration coefficient, translocation factor, and free proline content of the four species increased; and (3) the Pb mobility and distribution rates of the underground parts of the four species were consistently greater than those of the aboveground parts. The Pb mobility and distribution rates in the stems increased after applying EDTA, while those in the leaves decreased, as the plants tended to transfer Pb to their stems, which have lower physiological activity than their leaves.