Abstract: Using wild-type eggplant (Solanum torvum) as rootstock, a field plot experiment was conducted to examine the effects of grafting on Cd accumulation in the shoots of scion plants eggplant (Solanum melongena) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). We also explored the role of sulfur in driving plant Cd accumulation. Compared to selfrooted plants, Cd contents in stems, leaves, and fruits of grafted eggplants were reduced by 78.0%, 86.3%, 93.2% in CK, and 89.1%, 89.5%, 92.3% in 2 mg·kg^-1 Cdpolluted field plots, respectively. The decreases in grafted tomato plants were 20.6%, 15.5%, 10% in CK, and 79.3%, 48.3%, 4.2% in 2 mg·kg^-1 Cd polluted field plots, respectively. Moreover, total sulfur contents in leaves of grafted plants (eggplant and tomato) were significantly reduced, and the trends of which were consistent with Cd accumulation. Our results indicated that specific rootstock induced the changes of Cd accumulation in grafted plants. There was interspecific difference in the responses of plants to the same rootstock. In addition, such changes of Cd accumulation in plants were closely related with the changes of total sulfur content.

Key words: relative importance value, functional group diversity, species diversity, community stability