fresh biomass and dry biomass decreased as the soil Cd concentration
increased, while tiller number, the H2O mass
fraction of the shoot and leaf width increased as the soil Cd
concentration increased. Of all the growth indicators, leaf
shape (the ratio of leaf length to width) was first influenced by
Cd, changing at 8 mg kg1 Cd, and then the shoot length, root
length, leaf width, leaf water content and fresh weight and dry
weight were affected, changing at 15 mg kg1 Cd. Leaves had
no visual toxic symptoms under 8e100 mg kg1 Cd. When
soils were contaminated by 0e100 mgkg1 Cd, on the basis of
a single plant, king grass produced at each harvest 85e156 g
fresh biomass or on a dry basis 11e35 g.