Effect of the application of polluted wheat (Triticum aestivumL. Thell.) straw during plowing on the transfer of radiocesium from the soil to komatsuna (Brassica rapaL. var.perviridis)

Radioactive substances were released into the environment after the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station; this led to the contamination of the soil at Fukushima Prefecture. Mixing of organic matter with soil during plowing is known to influence radiocesium (134Cs and 137Cs) absorption by crops. However, the effect of mixing organic matter polluted by radioactive substances during plowing on radiocesium absorption by plants is not yet known. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect on the radiocesium absorption by komatsuna (Brassica rapa L. var. perviridis) cultivated in a 45-L container containing Andosol (14,300 Bq kg−1) or Gray Lowland soil (33,500 Bq kg−1) mixed with polluted wheat (Triticum aestivum L. Thell.) straw (2080 Bq kg−1). The radiocesium concentration of the plants and the soil and the amount of exchangeable radiocesium in the soil were determined using a germanium semiconductor. The transfer of radiocesium from the soil to plants decreased by 5...