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Uptake and Release of Cesium‐137 by Five Plant Species as Influenced by Soil Amendments in Field Experiments
Author(s) -
Fuhrmann Mark,
Lasat Mitch,
Ebbs Stephen,
Cornish Jay,
Kochian Leon
Publication year - 2003
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/jeq2003.2272
Subject(s) - amaranth , brassica , manure , phytoremediation , agronomy , chemistry , ammonium , brassica oleracea , amaranthus cruentus , sinapis , horticulture , biology , environmental chemistry , heavy metals , organic chemistry
Phytoextraction field experiments were conducted on soil contaminated with 0.39 to 8.7 Bq/g of 137 Cs to determine the capacity of five plant species to accumulate 137 Cs and the effects of three soil treatments on uptake. The plants tested were redroot pigweed ( Amaranthus retroflexus L. var. aureus ); a mixture of redroot pigweed and spreading pigweed ( A. graecizans L.); purple amaranth ( A. cruteus L.) × Powell's amaranth ( A. powellii S. Watson), referred to here as the amaranth hybrid; Indian mustard [ Brassica juncea (L.) Czern.]; and cabbage ( Brassica oleracea L. var. capitata ). For control plants, the concentration ratios (CR) of 137 Cs were greatest for redroot pigweed and the amaranth hybrid, with average CR values of 1.0 ± 0.24 and 0.95 ± 0.14, respectively. The lowest value was for Indian mustard at 0.36 ± 0.10. The soil treatments included (i) application of NH 4 NO 3 solution to the soil after plants had matured, (ii) addition of composted manure to increase organic matter content of the soil, (iii) combination of the manure and ammonium solution treatments, and (iv) controls. The ammonium solution gave little overall increase in accumulation of 137 Cs. The use of composted manure also had little influence, but the combination of the composted manure with application of ammonium solutions had a distinctly negative effect on plant uptake of 137 Cs. On average the fraction of 137 Cs taken up from the soil was reduced by 57.4 ± 1.2% compared with controls. This was the result of release of competing ions, primarily Ca, from the manure and was observed across all five plant species tested. The application of ammonium solution took place in the last two weeks before harvest. The reduction of plant 137 Cs content, by addition of the ammonium solution, as it interacted with the manure, indicates that substantial quantities 137 Cs can be released from the shoots of plants as a result of sudden changes in soil solution chemistry.