Temporal and seasonal variations of radiocaesium content in some plants from the western part of Ukrainian Polesye.
We present measurements of (137)Cs contamination for some of the berry plants and medicinal herbs growing in the western part of Ukrainian Polesye during 1996-2009. Basing on the calculations of the aggregated transfer factors, we classified the medicinal herbs into five groups according to their ability for accumulation of (137)Cs: very weak (T(ag) < 10(-3)), weak (10(-3) < T(ag) < 10(-2)), moderate (10(-2) < T(ag) < 5 × 10(-2)), strong (5 × 10(-2) < T(ag) < 10(-1)) and very strong (T(ag) > 10(-1)). The (137)Cs concentrations in the berry plants significantly decreased during the time of our monitoring and the rate of this decrease was much higher than that typical of the corresponding soils. This is because with time the (137)Cs in the soil was becoming less accessible for uptake by plant roots due to its fixation on micaceous clay minerals. The seasonal variations of the (137)Cs concentrations in the vegetative and generative organs of the plants revealed a good interdependence between the seasonal peculiarities of (137)Cs accumulation by the organs and the features of their vegetation period.
Ivan Franko Lviv National University, Lviv, Ukraine. grabovsky@electronics.wups.lviv.ua
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Grabovskyi
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Dzendzelyuk
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Kushnir
D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes / Q000378:metabolism*; D010944:Plants / Q000378:metabolism*; D012621:Seasons; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000378:metabolism*; D014455:Ukraine
D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive