Predicting Soil to Plant Transfer of Radiocesium Using Soil Characteristics

Abstract

A model is presented that dynamically estimates the radiocesium activity in herbage from readily available soil parameters. Three key properties underlying the bioavail ability of radiocesium in soils were estimated in the model: the labile radiocesium distribution coefficient ( k dl ), the solution K + concentration ([ m K ]), and the radiocesium concentration factor (CF, Bq kg - 1 plant/Bq dm - 3 soil solution). These were determined as functions of the soil clay content and exchangeable K status. The effect of time on radiocesium fixation was described by two first-order decay equations. The model was initially parametrized using radiocesium uptake data from a ryegrass pot trial. Without further parameterization, the model was then tested for a wide range of soil and crop combinations using a database of published and unpublished information from a variety of sources and covering contamination time periods of 0.5−11 years. Model predictions of activity concentrations in crops were in generally good agreement with observed values.