title: Use of different surface covering materials to enhance removal of radiocaesium in plants and upper soil from orchards in Fukushima prefecture.
abstract: The effectiveness of a decontamination methodology whereby herbaceous plants were grown through different materials covering the soil surface followed by subsequent removal of the material, associated plant tissues and attached soil on137Cs removal from soil was evaluated. Revegetation netting sown with Kentucky bluegrass and white clover had a high effectiveness in137Cs removal when rolling up the plants, roots, and rhizosphere soil approximately 6 months after sowing. The removal rate was lower when there was higher137Cs vertical migration down the soil profile. The maximum removal effectiveness of 93.1% was observed by rolling up fertilized Kentucky bluegrass with a well-developed root mat without netting, indicating that applying nutrients to encourage the development of roots or root mats in the 3 cm topsoil rhizosphere is an efficient technology to increase the decontamination effect of plant removal in orchards. Netting and weeding were able to remove up to 80% of137Cs in the soil without the use of heavy machinery. There was a significant relationship between the removal ratio and the removed soil weight per area. Using the relationship on the site below the canopy, removal of 14.3 kg m-2DW soil would achieve a removal ratio of 80%. The effectiveness of the technique will decrease with time as radiocaesium migrates down the soil profile but this would be expected to occur slowly in many soils.
authors.affiliation: Fukushima University, Faculty of Symbolic System Science, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima 960-1248, Japan; Fruit Tree Research Center, Fukushima Agricultural Technology Center, 1 Dannohigashi, Hirano, Iizaka-cho, Fukushima 960-0231, Japan. Electronic address: satou_mamoru_01@pref.fukushima.lg.jp.
authors.forename: Mamoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.affiliation: Fruit Tree Research Center, Fukushima Agricultural Technology Center, 1 Dannohigashi, Hirano, Iizaka-cho, Fukushima 960-0231, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Akai
authors.affiliation: Fruit Tree Research Center, Fukushima Agricultural Technology Center, 1 Dannohigashi, Hirano, Iizaka-cho, Fukushima 960-0231, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.affiliation: Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, Kanayagawa, Fukushima 960-1248, Japan.
authors.forename: Tsugiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takase
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Electron Photon Science, Tohoku University, 1-2-1 Mikamine, Taihaku-ku, Sendai 982-0826, Japan.
authors.forename: Hidetoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kikunaga
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Bioresources, Mie University, 1577 Kurimamachiya-cho, Tsu City, Mie 514-8507, Japan.
authors.forename: Nobuhito
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sekiya
authors.affiliation: Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute, 2, Asashiro-Nishi, Kumatori-cho, Sennan-gun, Osaka 590-0494, Japan.
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohtsuki
authors.affiliation: Fukushima University, Faculty of Symbolic System Science, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima 960-1248, Japan.
authors.forename: Katsuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
mesh_terms: D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis*; D052918:Environmental Restoration and Remediation / Q000379:methods*; D062406:Fukushima Nuclear Accident; D007564:Japan; D010944:Plants / Q000737:chemistry; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive
keywords: Caesium-137; Decontamination; Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station accident; Orchard; Removal soil; Revegetation netting; Weeding