Transfer of 137Cs to Cereal Plants Due to Microorganisms Activity

Abstract

Purpose. Evaluation of the role of individual strains of microorganisms in transfer of 137Cs in spring wheat and rapeseed plants. Methods. Fieldwork, laboratory experiments, inoculation, gamma spectrometry. Results. Soil microorganisms can both reduce and enhance the transition of 137Cs from soil to plants. Inoculating microorganisms, when used on nutrient poor soils, accelerate the growth of plants in length, which indicates an improvement in their growing conditions. Studies have shown that it does not depend on the localization of the microorganism on the root surface, because all analyzed bacteria belonged to the group colonizing the rhizosphere of the plant. In experiments with wheat, there was no significant reduction in 137Cs accumulation. The use of drug complexes based on the bacterial strains Agrobacterium radiobacter IMV B-7246 and A. chroococcum UKM B-6082 for inoculation of rapeseed and Azotobacter chroococcum UKM B-6003 can be considered as an additional radioprotective method of blocking the influx of 137Cs in these rural plants. Conclusions. Soil microorganisms can both reduce and increase the accumulation of 137Cs in plant biomass and this property does not depend on the localization of the microorganism on the root surface, because all analyzed bacteria belonged to the group colonizing the rhizosphere of the plant. The use of inoculation of seeds of agricultural plants with bacterial preparations under the conditions of cultivation on soil contaminated with radionuclides as an additional measure to reduce the accumulation of radionuclides in the green mass of plants is proposed.