title: Research with radiation and radioisotopes to better understand plant physiology and agricultural consequences of radioactive contamination from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident.
abstract: Research carried out by me and my group over the last almost four decades are summarized here. The main emphasis of my work was and continues to be on plant physiology using radiation and radioisotopes. Plants live on water and inorganic elements. In the case of water, we developed neutron imaging methods and produced15O-labeled water (half-life 2 min) and applied them to understand water circulation pattern in the plant. In the case of elements, we developed neutron activation analysis methods to analyze a large number of plant tissues to follow element specific distribution. Then, we developed real-time imaging system using conventional radioisotopes for the macroscopic and microscopic observation of element movement. After the accident in Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, we, the academic staff of Graduate School, have been studying agricultural effects of radioactive fallout; the main results are summarized in two books published by Springer.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1, Yayoi, Bunkyo-Ku, Tokyo 113-8657 Japan.
authors.forename: Tomoko M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Nakanishi
keywords: Agricultural impact of contamination; Fukushima nuclear accident; Neutron imaging; Plant physiology; Radioisotope; Real-time radioisotope imaging system; Water imaging and measurement