Abstract

The absorption of radioactive strontium by crop plants has been investigated in field experiments on six soils which represent a wide range of arable land in Britain. 89Sr was applied as a spray, and cultivation procedures were employed to place it at different depths below the soil surface. Three test crops were grown in each experiment. With shallow-rooted crops, for example, a grass-clover pasture mixture, ploughing to the depth of 12 in. caused the absorption of 89Sr and the ratio of 89Sr to Ca in plants, to be on the average, less than 30 per cent of that observed when the 89Sr was left on the surface. Only small effects of placement, however, occurred with deeper rooted species. When established pasture was contaminated the level of 89Sr in the tissues formed subsequently was up to 5 times higher than in grass sown on contaminated ground. The effects of the Ca status of the soil and of added lime were examined. The 89Sr content of plants and the ratio of 89Sr to Ca were highest when the soil was low in Ca (2 milli-equivalents Ca per 100 g extracted with N. ammonium acetate). Relatively small differences, however, occurred when the soils contained more than 7 milli-equivalents Ca. The effect of added lime was variable and differences between experiments cannot be attributed entirely to differences in soil calcium.

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