A pot experiment was performed to study the effectiveness of tartaric acid and EGTA and their combined use in enhancing remediation of Cd contaminated soil with Ricinus communis L.,so as to discuss the feasibility of chelating agents and antidote in phytoremediation of heavy metal contaminated soil.The results showed that:(1)All treatments except single use of tartaric acid could significantly increase acetate-extractable Cd concentrations in soils.The acetate-extractable Cd concentrations in EGTA & tartaric acid treatment were 1.41～2.49 times higher than that of the control.(2)The Cd concentration in Ricinus communis L.shoots increased significantly with EGTA treatments,but high dose of EGTA demonstrated toxic effects on plant roots.The EGTA & tartaric acid treatments were more effective for Cd detoxication,translocation and biomass accumulation,which Cd accumulations in shoots are 4.56～8.32 times higher than that of control.As such,the phytoremediation efficiency is increased.(3)Statistical analysis reveals significant positive relations between the acetate-extractable Cd concentrations and the Cd content in leaves,the Cd accumulation in shoots,and cadmium removal rates in soil,respectively.Therefore,EGTA combined with tartaric acid can effectively improve Cd accumulation capacity in Ricinus communis L.shoots by adjusting Cd bioavailability and reducing its physiological toxicity.