Rice Na absorption mediated by OsHKT2;1 affected Cs translocation from root to shoot under low K environments.

Cs diffused into the environment due to a nuclear power plant accident has caused serious problems for safe crop production. In plants, Cs is similar in its ionic form to K. Cs is absorbed and transported mainly by the K transport mechanism.

Reduction of Radiocesium in Internal- and Surface-Contaminated Komatsuna (Brassica rapa var. perviridis) during Washing and Processing.

Radiocesium dynamics data during food processing are required for the realistic estimation of internal radiation content in food. Radiocesium contamination of leafy vegetables can occur externally due to the adhesion of fallout and/or resuspension from the air, and internally from soil via the root transport. Information regarding the dynamics of both surface and internal radiocesium contamination during food processing is required; however, such information for leafy vegetables is limited compared to other major agricultural products.

Different nitrogen acquirement and utilization strategies might determine the ecological competition between ferns and angiosperms.

Background And Aims: The abundance or decline of fern populations in response to environmental change has been found to be largely dependent on specific physiological properties that distinguish ferns from angiosperms. Many studies have focused on water use efficiency and stomatal behaviours, but the effects of nutrition acquirement and utilization strategies on niche competition between ferns and flowering plants are rarely reported.

Methods: We collected 34 ferns and 42 angiosperms from the Botanic Garden of Hokkaido University for nitrogen (N), sulphur (S), NO3- and SO42- analysis.

The ratio of plant Cs to exchangeable Cs in soil is a crucial factor in explaining the variation in Cs transferability from soil to plant.

To mitigate radioactive cesium from soil to plant, increasing and maintaining the exchangeable potassium (ExK) level during growth is widely accepted after Tokyo Electric Company's Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Plant accident in Japan. This is because the antagonistic relationship between soil solution K and Cs + Cs (RCs) concentrations changes the transfer factor (TF: designated as the ratio of radioactivity of plant organ to soil) of RCs. As the relationship between ExK and TF depends on the soil types, crop species, and other environmental factors, the required amount of ExK should be set to a safe side.

Application of Finnish phlogopite to reduce radiocesium uptake by paddy rice.

Field and pot experiments were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of coarse Finnish phlogopite application to reduce radiocesium uptake by paddy rice (Oryza sativa L.). The application of phlogopite was expected to reduce radiocesium uptake by crops through K supply and radiocesium retention.

Physiological Role of Aerobic Fermentation Constitutively Expressed in an Aluminum-Tolerant Cell Line of Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum).

Aluminum (Al)-tolerant tobacco cell line ALT301 derived from SL (wild-type) hardly exhibits Al-triggered reactive oxygen species (ROS) compared with SL. Molecular mechanism leading to this phenotype was investigated comparatively with SL. Under normal growth condition, metabolome data suggested the activation of glycolysis and lactate fermentation but the repression of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle in ALT301, namely aerobic fermentation, which seemed to be transcriptionally controlled partly by higher expression of genes encoding lactate dehydrogenase and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase.

Comparative dynamics of potassium and radiocesium in soybean with different potassium application levels.

We conducted a field experiment in soybean with different levels of K application to elucidate the comparative dynamics of Cs and K. The inventory of K in the shoots increased substantially from the fifth trifoliate stage to the full seed stage, and as the absorption of K increased, so too did the absorption of Cs. Overall, the effect of K application was much greater in terms of Cs dynamics than K dynamics or biomass production.

Soil and vegetation sampling during the early stage of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident and the implication for the emergency preparedness for agricultural systems.

After the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident, immediate soil and vegetation sampling were conducted according to the action plan of nuclear emergency monitoring; however, analysing the monitoring dataset was difficult because the sampling protocols were not standardised. In this study, the sampling protocols applied just after the FDNPP accident were reviewed, and the monitoring data were analysed. The detailed protocols and results can provide a sound basis for guidelines of soil and vegetation sampling for nuclear emergency monitoring.

Dynamics of radionuclide activity concentrations in weed leaves, crops and of air dose rate after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident.

Data on reduction of radioactivity in plants are highly important for making decision on emergency response and remediation of contaminated areas. Dynamics of the I and Cs concentrations in the weed leaves sampled in the areas affected by the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident in Japan was assessed for the period March-December 2011. The effective half-lives for I and Cs of 3.

Relationships between air dose rates and radionuclide concentrations in agricultural plants observed in areas affected by the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident.

Most of environmental monitoring programs include measurements of the air dose rates and the radionuclides activity concentration in plants. Both these parameters depend on deposition density of radionuclides. Therefore, measurements of one parameter can (with some supplementary information) be used as an indicator for the other parameter.

Large-scale sampling and radioactivity analysis of agricultural soil and food during nuclear emergencies in Japan: Variations over time in foodstuffs inspection and sampling.

The measurement of radioactivity in food and agricultural ecosystems is an essential task for keeping the population safe after a nuclear emergency. Prior to the Tokyo Electric Power Company's Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident in 2011, the probability of such an accident, combining complex effects of natural and technical factors, was not reflected in detail in national emergency preparedness guidelines. The lack of such guidelines resulted in a limited efficiency response to the Fukushima accident in agriculture.

Large-scale agricultural soil and food sampling and radioactivity analysis during nuclear emergencies in Japan: Development of technical and organisational procedures for soil and food sampling after the accident.

Most available measurement methods and protocols for radioactive materials are focused on the use of high-precision sampling and analysis and do not consider the practicality of these techniques in the case of large-scale emergencies involving high numbers of samples and measurements. The experience gained after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident has demonstrated a need for optimization of sampling and measurement programmes in the case of nuclear emergency that affects food and agriculture. Under these conditions, resources for implementation of monitoring and allocations for sampling and measurements might be limited, and urgent information is needed for effective emergency response.

Variations in radioactive cesium accumulation in wheat germplasm from fields affected by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power plant accident.

Decreasing the transfer of radioactive cesium (RCs) from soil to crops has been important since the deposition of RCs in agricultural soil owing to the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident of 2011. We investigated the genotypic variation in RCs accumulation in 234 and 198 hexaploid wheat (Triticum spp.) varieties in an affected field in 2012 and 2013, respectively.

Reduction in the Radiocesium in Meats of the Sika Deer and Wild Boar by Cooking.

Abstract: The behavior of radiocesium in wild animal meats upon cooking was investigated. The ratio of the concentration change (processing factor, Pf), remaining ratio (food processing retention factor, Fr), and removal ratio of radiocesium in the meats by grilling, boiling, and steaming were determined. Differences in cooking methods, rather than differences in meat parts or animal species, clearly influenced the Pf, Fr, and removal ratios.

Comparisons of effective half-lives of radiocesium in Japanese tea plants after two nuclear accidents, Chernobyl and Fukushima.

The time-dependence of Cs in new shoots of tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze) following aCs-deposition was analyzed and quantified in terms of effective half-lives. The underlying monitoring studies were performed after the accidents in the Chernobyl and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plants for tea plants growing in Japan.

Factors controlling dissolved Cs concentrations in east Japanese Rivers.

To investigate the main factors that control the dissolved radiocesium concentration in river water in the area affected by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident, the correlations between the dissolved Cs concentrations at 66 sites normalized to the average Cs inventories for the watersheds with the land use, soil components, topography, and water quality factors were assessed. We found that the topographic wetness index is significantly and positively correlated with the normalized dissolved Cs concentration. Similar positive correlations have been found for European rivers because wetland areas with boggy organic soils that weakly retain Cs are mainly found on plains.

Rapid Quantification of Radioactive Strontium-90 in Fresh Foods via Online Solid-Phase Extraction-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Dynamic Reaction Cell-Mass Spectrometry and Its Comparative Evaluation with Conventional Radiometry.

This paper describes a rapid quantification method for radioactive strontium (Sr) in fresh foods (perishable foods) and has been comparatively evaluated with the common classical radiometric quantification method. Inductively coupled plasma-dynamic reaction cell-mass spectrometry with online solid-phase extraction (cascade-ICP-MS) rapidly determines Sr in a pure water-based sample. Despite its advantages, its application to fresh foods (perishable foods) has not yet been reported; however, the analytical potential of this method for fresh foods must be evaluated.

Phytoavailability of Cs and stable Cs in soils from different parent materials in Fukushima, Japan.

Weathered micaceous minerals (micas) are able to release potassium ion (K) and fix caesium-137 (Cs), both of which reduce soil-to-plant transfer of Cs. Among micas, trioctahedral micas such as biotite is expected to have a stronger ability to supply nonexchangeable K and a higher amount of Cs fixation sites than dioctahedral micas such as illite. Although biotite is predominant in granitic soils (G soils), illite is mainly dominant in sedimentary rock soils (S soils).

A Reduced Phosphorus Application Rate Using a Mycorrhizal Plant as the Preceding Crop Maintains Soybean Seeds' Nutritional Quality.

We tested whether introducing an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF)-host plant with a reduced P application rate could maintain soybean seeds' nutrient quality. The dynamic variation of 14 nutrients was analyzed in source and sink organs during the seed-filling stage. The AMF-host and non-AMF-host plants, sunflower and mustard, were grown as preceding crops (PCs).

A statistical model for estimating the radiocesium transfer factor from soil to brown rice using the soil exchangeable potassium content.

To reduce radiocesium uptake by rice, large amounts of potassium fertilizer have been applied to paddy fields contaminated by radiocesium released from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant owned by the Tokyo Electric Power Company. The Fukushima Prefectural Government recommended maintenance of the soil exchangeable K content up to 200 mg K kg before conventional fertilization in rice production. We constructed an equation to predict the transfer factor from soil to brown rice using the soil exchangeable K content.