The uptake of strontium and calcium from soils by grasses and legumes and the possible significance in relation to SR-90 fallout

Abstract

In view of the nature of much of the evidence on which future world-wide radioactivity levels have been predicted, and also the possibility of increased bomb testing, reactor accidents, or even atomic warfare, it seemed desirable to determine if species differences existed in forage plants, such that some might take up less strontium from the soil than others.Sixteen species and strains of forage legumes and grasses were grown on three different soils, similar in texture and pH but varying in strontium and calcium content. The plant tops and the soils were analyzed for strontium and calcium. A method was developed, using X-ray emission spectrography, for the analysis of strontium.The results indicate three significant features: 1) Every legume species rakes up more strontium than any grass; 2) within either the grasses or the legumes the variation in strontium content between species and varieties is not marked; and 3) the amount of stronrium taken up is directly related to the calcium taken .up.A grass diet for dairy cows has an advantage over a legume diet in that both strontium and calcium levels are !ower, and a higher calcium supplement can be added to the grass diet to greatly decrease the Sr/Ca ratio before calcium toxicity results. It seems reasonable that the strontium (or Sr-90) content of milk can be reduced by a factor of about 8 when cows are fed grass supplemented with calcium.

Título en español.

“…However, Bladen soil solutions contained little more than traces of Mn even at very low pH, whereas Catalina solutions had extremely high concentrations when pH was below about 5. Manganese solubility in soils is a highly labile property, making it difficult to (30). This conclusion is also supported by the soil-solution cation composition results (tables 3 and 4).…”

UPTAKE OF Sr85 BY CEREAL CROPS AND VARIETIES

“…Tl'iere is considerable evidence to show that members of the grass familv, including the cereal crops. tended to accumulate less Sr than dicotyledonous plants (2,3,5,9,11). Variations in Sr content betlveen species of cereal crops have not been marked (2, 7, 8, …”

Variety Differences in Strontium and Calcium Accumulation in Seedlings of Barley1

“…A second objective of the present study was to ascertain the effect of the ratio of Ca to Sr in the nutrient solution on variety differences in accumulation of Ca and Sr. Several studies have shown a close parallel between Ca and Sr accumulation (2,4,11). However, Romney et al (9) found that when excess Ca was added to the nutrient solution, absorption of Ca proceeded at a reduced rate relative to the rate of Sr absorption.…”