Transfer factor of Radiocesium from soil to spinach plant (Amaranthus sp)

Abstract

Transfer factor of radiocesium from soil to spinach plant (Amaranthus sp). Transfer of Cs radionuclide from andosol soil to spinach plant (Amaranthus sp), which highly consumed by Indonesian people had been studied to obtain the transfer factor value for human internal dose assessment according to soil–crop–human pathway. Spinach plants are planted on andosol soils that have been contaminated with 134Cs. The research was carried out by growing spinach plants on andosol type soil media containing 134Cs until the plants could be harvested. The number of absorbed and accumulated 134Cs by plant parts, namely, the roots, stems, leaves, and flowers, are observed every five days. The amount of 134Cs uptake accumulated by plants and 134C concentrations remaining in the soil was measured using a gamma spectrometer. Transfer factor values were determined by comparing the concentration of 134Cs accumulated by plants to their concentrations in soil media. The results of this study obtained that the transfer factor value at harvest age for consumption, i.e., 52 days was 0.527, and the highest was 6.56 when the plant was 76 days. The transfer factor value of higher than one indicates that the spinach plant is a radiocaesium accumulator.