Author:

Keywords:

Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Agronomy, Plant Sciences, Soil Science, Agriculture, Cs-137 uptake, K uptake, solution culture, Triticum aestivum L cv Tonic, CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT, POTASSIUM, COUNTERMEASURES, RADIOCESIUM, ROOTS, 05 Environmental Sciences, 06 Biological Sciences, 07 Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences, Agronomy & Agriculture, 30 Agricultural, veterinary and food sciences, 31 Biological sciences, 41 Environmental sciences

Abstract:

The effect of varying K supply on 137Cs uptake in spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Tonic) was measured in a solution culture experiment. Wheat was grown in nutrient solution spiked with 137Cs. Treatments were four concentrations of K in solution (resp. 25 μM, 50 μM 250 μM and 1000 μM, added as KNO3) with twofold replication. 137Cs Activity Concentrations (AC, dry weight based values) in 18-day old plants decreased 123-fold in the shoot and 300-fold in the root between 25 μM K and 1000 μM K. Uptake of 137Cs was most sensitively affected by the K supply between 50 μM and 250 μM K. A comparison of the K/37Cs ratio in plant and in solution shows that K is from 3.9- to 25-times more selectively taken up than 137Cs. It is discussed that the sensitivity of the 137Cs uptake rate to the K concentration may explain the beneficial effect of increased K supply in reducing 137Cs uptake from contaminated soils. © 1996 Kluwer Academic Publishers.