Plant uptake of radioactive corrosion products in a field study

The root uptake by wheat of three activation products (⁵⁷Co, ⁵⁴Mn and ⁶⁵Zn) was studied in a 3-year field experiment. The aim of the investigation was to calculate the soil–plant transfer factors of these nuclides and to verify the role played by different soil treatments (Ca and K) on the uptake. The uptake of ⁵⁴Mn and ⁶⁵Zn, relevant for the plant, was higher than that of ⁵⁷Co (physiologically unimportant). The temporal distribution of the uptake showed a decreasing trend, while the treatments containing Ca led to lower transfer factors for ⁵⁴Mn and ⁶⁵Zn, which varied between 0.67 and 3.68. The variations exhibited by the different nuclides were discussed, as well as the differences between the treatments.