Radiocesium distribution caused by tillage inversion affects the soil-to-crop transfer factor and translocation in agroecosystems

Peiran Li; Yingting Gong; Wenyi Lu; Nobuo Sakagami; Zhaowen Mo; Masakazu Komatsuzaki

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154897

Radiocesium distribution caused by tillage inversion affects the soil-to-crop transfer factor and translocation in agroecosystems

Sci Total Environ. 2022 Jul 20:831:154897. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154897. Epub 2022 Mar 30.

Authors

Peiran Li¹, Yingting Gong², Wenyi Lu³, Nobuo Sakagami³, Zhaowen Mo⁴, Masakazu Komatsuzaki⁵

Affiliations

¹ United Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Saiwaicho 3-5-8, Fuchu, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan.
² Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China.
³ College of Agriculture, Ibaraki University, 3-21-1, Chuuo, Ami, Inashiki, Ibaraki 300-0393, Japan.
⁴ State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, College of Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China.
⁵ United Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Saiwaicho 3-5-8, Fuchu, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan; Center for International Field Agriculture Research & Education, Ibaraki University, 3-21-1, Ami, Inashiki, Ibaraki 300-0393, Japan. Electronic address: masakazu.komatsuzaki.fsc@vc.ibaraki.ac.jp.

PMID: 35367255
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154897

Abstract

This study reports the translocation of cesium-137 (¹³⁷Cs) into deep soil layers, and the ¹³⁷Cs transfer from soil to soybean in farmland under three tillage (no tillage, NT; rotary cultivation, RC; moldboard plow; MP) treatments and an undisturbed grassland (GL) at eight years after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident on 11 March 2011 in Japan. Tillage influences the ¹³⁷Cs distribution in the 0-30 cm of soil; the distribution of ¹³⁷Cs in the soil was uniform under RC and MP treatments, while in the grassland, most ¹³⁷Cs was concentrated on the soil surface (0-2.5 cm). The center of vertical ¹³⁷Cs radioactivity concentration (the thickness of the soil from surface which containing half of the ¹³⁷Cs inventory) in GL was 5.5 cm, which was shallower than that in farmland (9.5 cm in NT, 13.6 cm in RC and 15.2 cm in MP). Hence, the total translocation distance of ¹³⁷Cs 8 years after FDNPP accident showed the following trend: GL (2.4 cm) < NT (7.0 cm) < RC (10.0 cm) < MP (12.3 cm). Meanwhile, a significant positive correlation was observed between ¹³⁷Cs radioactivity concentration and organic carbon and nitrogen content in the soil. However, the ¹³⁷Cs radioactivity concentration in soybean grains was negatively correlated with the center of vertical ¹³⁷Cs radioactivity concentration but positively correlated with the ratio of exchangeable ¹³⁷Cs (ExCs) and K content in the soil. The ExCs/K and ¹³⁷Cs distributions in the soil were combined into a statistical model to predict the ¹³⁷Cs radioactivity concentration in soybean grain. The results revealed the magnitude of the impact of ¹³⁷Cs distribution on the ¹³⁷Cs transfer from soil to crop. The addition of the ¹³⁷Cs distribution dramatically improved the accuracy of the prediction model of ¹³⁷Cs radioactivity concentration in soybean.

Keywords: Cesium-137; Soybeans; Tillage; Transfer factor; Translocation.

MeSH terms

Cesium Radioisotopes / analysis
Fukushima Nuclear Accident*
Japan
Radiation Monitoring*
Soil
Soil Pollutants, Radioactive* / analysis
Transfer Factor

Substances

Cesium Radioisotopes
Soil
Soil Pollutants, Radioactive
Transfer Factor