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Leaching of Radionuclides from Decaying Blueberry Leaves: Relative Rate Independent of Concentration
Author(s) -
Sheppard S. C.,
Evenden W. G.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
journal of environmental quality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1537-2537
pISSN - 0047-2425
DOI - 10.2134/jeq1990.00472425001900030018x
Subject(s) - radionuclide , leaching (pedology) , chemistry , litter , dry weight , environmental chemistry , plant litter , vaccinium , environmental science , horticulture , botany , agronomy , soil science , soil water , nutrient , biology , organic chemistry , physics , quantum mechanics
Leaching of radionuclides from decaying vegetation has not been extensively investigated, especially for radionuclides other than 137 Cs. We obtained leaves of blueberry ( Vaccinium angustifolium × V. corymbosum ) that contained over 25‐fold ranges in Se, Cs, and I concentrations, as well as a small quantity of leaves containing detectable U. All were contaminated by way of root uptake. Leaching took place for a period of 1 yr in the laboratory, using leach water from forest litter. Monthly, measurements were made of the radionuclide contents and decaying leaf dry weights. The data conformed to an exponential decay model with two first‐order components. In no case did the relative loss rates vary systematically with the initial tissue radionuclide concentrations. Loss rates decreased in the order Cs > I > U > dry wt. > Se. Because of the low leaching rate of Se relative to the loss of dry weight, decaying litter may actually accumulate elements such as Se. Accumulation of radionuclides in litter could have important implications for lateral transport, recycling, and direct incorporation into edible mushrooms.