A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted to investigate the application effects of ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA) and low molecular weight organic acids (LMWOA: oxalic and citric acids) on the uptake of lead (Pb) by maize grown on clay and calcareous sandy soils treated and non-treated with farmyard manure (FYM). The results showed that the shoot and root dry matter of maize were lower for EDTA treatments than those of the control or LMWOA treatments. However, EDTA was more effective than LMWOA in increasing the Pb uptake by and translocation within maize, with more Pb accumulation by plants from the clay soil than from the calcareous sandy one. Applying EDTA in conjunction with organic manure (FYM) resulted in the less negative impact on the plant growth and the highest shoot Pb accumulation. Thus, FYM may be a suitable manure for increasing the performance of chelators to enhance the phytoextraction capacity and alleviate the toxicity of the metal and/or chelators