Premium
Root Transfer of Fission Products from Contaminated Soil
Author(s) -
Romney E. M.,
Nishita H.,
Olafson J. H.,
Larson K. H.
Publication year - 1963
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj1963.03615995002700040010x
Subject(s) - contamination , soil contamination , fission products , chemistry , soil water , yield (engineering) , radioactive contamination , environmental science , agronomy , environmental chemistry , radiochemistry , soil science , biology , materials science , ecology , metallurgy
Dry yield of wheat grown for 117‐days was not affected by solutions of nuclear reactor‐produced mixed fission products (MFP) applied to the soil surface or mixed with equal amounts of potted soil at contamination level ranging from 0.01 to 1.0 µc. beta activity per g. of soil. Concentrations of beta and gamma activity in the above‐ground parts of plants were increased as the soil contamination levels increased. Wheat removed from 0.07 to 0.09% of the total beta activity that had been mixed with the soil and from 0.10 to 0.15% of that which had been applied on to the soil surface. Concentrations of radioactivity in above‐ground plant parts were highest in leaves, intermediate in stems and lowest in fruiting heads. Radiostrontium accounted for 50 to 80% of the beta activity transferred to above‐ground plant parts; < 10% was attributable to root transfer of Y 91 , Ru 106 , Cs 137 and Ce 144 from soil.