Assessment of the availability of 137Cs and 90Sr radionuclides to agricultural plants in changing climatic conditions

Abstract

In field experiments conducted on sod-podzolic soils, it was found that 35 years after the Chernobyl accident, the largest share of ¹³⁷Cs is in a strongly bound form, which determines the low transfer of ¹³⁷Cs into crops. The share of easily available ¹³⁷Cs forms (water-soluble + exchangeable) for plants is 10,9 % in sod-podzolic sandy soils – 5,1 % in sandy loam and – 3,9 % in loam of the total content in the soil. The share of easily available of 90Sr forms (water-soluble + exchangeable) is 67,2 % in sod-podzolic sandy soils 59,5 % sandy loam and 75,5 % loam of the total content in the soil. This fact determines the high transfer of 90Sr into crops. The research results show that for the studied crops there is a significant increase in the transfer of ⁹⁰Sr to plants from sod-podzolic sandy loam soil in warmer and drier growing seasons. It can be noted that with the warming of the climate on the territory of radioactive contamination, the problems with high transfer of ⁹⁰Sr into crops will worsen.