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TECHNICAL REPORTS

Plant and Environment Interactions

Time-Dependent Distribution of Surface-Applied Radionuclides and their Recovery in Maize during the Growing Season

^a Plant Nutrition, Institute of Plant Sciences, ETH Zurich, Eschikon 33, CH-8315 Lindau (ZH) Switzerland
^b Soil Physics, Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, ETH Zurich, Universitätstrasse 16, CH-8044 Zurich, Switzerland

^* Corresponding author (tiziana.centofanti{at}gmail.com)

Received for publication February 10, 2006. The spatial and temporal heterogeneity of field soils influences the fate and behavior of strongly sorbing pollutants and their entry into the food chain. We studied the redistribution of surface-applied ⁵⁴Mn, ⁶⁵Zn, ⁵⁷Co, and ¹³⁴Cs in the soil profile and their recovery in the aerial parts of maize grown on an untilled agricultural soil during the growing season. Radionuclides were more concentrated in the preferential flow paths (PFP) than in the soil matrix and their concentration decreased with time. The recovery of ⁵⁴Mn in the aerial plant parts increased between pollen shed and maturity, while the recovery of ⁶⁵Zn and ⁵⁷Co did not show any significant difference, and the recovery of ¹³⁴Cs decreased with time. The amount and distribution of rainfall, and the chemical, physical, and microbiological soil characteristics are the major factors influencing the variation of radionuclide recovery with time.

Abbreviations: PFP, preferential flow path • AY, acid yellow 7