Copper toxicity and accumulation in potted seedlings of three apple rootstock species: Implications for safe fruit production on copper-polluted soils

A 190-d pot cultivation of three apple rootstock species, Malus hupehensis, M. prunifolia, and M. micromalus, was conducted to investigate tolerance, uptake and accumulation of copper (Cu) in different rootstock species. The calculated soil Cu concentration that reduced plant biomass fry 50% decreased in M. hupehensis, M. prunifolia, and M. micromalus. This experiment showed that Cu tolerance of M. hupehensis was superior to the other rootstocks. Copper accumulation proportions in shoots or leaves of M. hupehensis were only 0.7-7.4%, which were the lowest among the three species in both control and Cu treatments, and especially were as low as only 40-50% of those of M. prunifolia. The results indicate that Cu-tolerant low-aboveground-Cu-accumulation rootstocks (i.e., excluder rootstocks) could be a good alternative to produce safe fruits with low Cu concentration on Cu-polluted soils without a complete ban on Cu fungicides.