Effect of the counter anion of cesium on foliar uptake and translocation.

Direct deposition of radioactive material onto crops is one important pathway for safety assessment of radionuclides released from nuclear facilities. Foliar uptake of Cs by radish (Raphanus sativus L. cv. Redchim) was studied by applying droplets of Cs solution (CsCl or CsNO3) on an upper leaf surface. The uptake of Cs was strongly affected by counter anions of Cs in the applied solution. Approximately 80% of Cs was absorbed for CsCl solution, while only 20% was absorbed for CsNO3. The partition of absorbed Cs between leaf and root tuber was quite similar for both Cs compounds, which indicated that behavior of the absorbed Cs in radish was the same for both.