The physiological responses of Paspalum vaginatum Sw. to Cd stress and its Cd accumulation characteristics were studied by investigating the effects of different concentrations of Cd on the growth, root vigor, leaf membrane permeability, membrane lipid peroxidation, protective enzyme activity and Cd accumulation of P. vaginatum. When the Cd concentration was over 50.00 mg/kg, with the increased Cd concentration, the CAT activity declined significantly, the synergistic effect between SOD and CAT was weakened, the MDA content increased greatly, and the root vigor decreased, leading to inhibited growth of P. vaginatum. When the Cd concentration was in the range of 0-50 mg/kg, the root vigor of P. vaginatum did not decline obviously, the activity of protective enzymes （SOD and CAT） was enhanced, and the MDA accumulation and cell membrane permeability did not increase significantly, thus the damage of Cd to P. vaginatum was lighter. Roots of P. vaginatum showed strong enrichment capacity for Cd. When the Cd concentration was up to 200.00 mg/kg, the Cd contents in shoot and root of P. vaginatum reached 39.15 and 1 097.38 mg/kg, respectively. It suggests that in the concentration range of 0-50.00 mg/kg, P. vaginatum can make effective responses to Cd stress and grow normally, and it can be planted as a candidate material to remediate Cd-contaminated soil.
