Development of evaluation method for radiocesium availability in soil by biomimetic approach.

Applicability of biomimetic approach with simulation of plant uptake for assessment of radiocesium availability in soil was investigated. The soil spiked with 137Cs tracer was contacted with wicking material and copper-substituted prussian blue (Cu-PB), which simulate transpirationally induced mass flow and concentration gradient-induced diffusion of radiocesiumin the soil, respectively. Comparison of the removed 137Cs to the wick and the wick + Cu-PB from the soil during the contact period of 12 weeks suggested that the diffusion process has larger contribution than the mass flow process in radiocesium dynamics in root zone.

SOIL-SOIL SOLUTION DISTRIBUTION COEFFICIENT OF RADIOIODINE IN SURFACE SOILS AROUND SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL REPROCESSING PLANT IN ROKKASHO, JAPAN.

The soil-soil solution distribution coefficient (Kd) of radioiodine in soil samples with various total carbon (TC) contents was measured in a batch sorption experiment using 125I tracer spiked as I-. The log values of Kd-125I and TC concentration in low-TC soils (< 10g kg-1) were positively correlated, whereas those of Kd-125I in TC rich soils (> 10 g kg-1) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in liquid phase were negatively correlated. The proportion of 125I in the < 3 kDa fraction in the liquid phase is negatively correlated with the log of DOC, implying that 125I is primarily combined with high-molecular-weight organic matter in soil solutions rich in DOC.

INVESTIGATION OF SHORT-TERM CHEMICAL CHANGE IN STABLE RUTHENIUM ADDED TO RAINWATER THROUGH X-RAY ABSORPTION FINE STRUCTURE ANALYSIS.

Radioactive ruthenium may be accidentally released from spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plants to the surrounding environment. To obtain basic information regarding the effect of radioactive ruthenium on the environment, we investigated changes in the source form of stable ruthenium added to rainwater through X-ray absorption fine structure analysis. Ruthenium tetroxide (RuO4), ruthenium dioxide (RuO2), ruthenium nitrosyl nitrate (Ru(NO)(NO3)3) and ruthenium chloride (RuCl3) were employed as test sources.

Visualising spatio-temporal distributions of assimilated carbon translocation and release in root systems of leguminous plants.

The release of rhizodeposits differs depending on the root position and is closely related to the assimilated carbon (C) supply. Therefore, quantifying the C partitioning over a short period may provide crucial information for clarifying root-soil carbon metabolism. A non-invasive method for visualising the translocation of recently assimilated C into the root system inside the rhizobox was established using CO labelling and the positron-emitting tracer imaging system.

Diversity of Antibiotic Biosynthesis Gene-possessing Rhizospheric Fluorescent Pseudomonads in Japan and Their Biocontrol Efficacy.

More than 3,000 isolates of fluorescent pseudomonads have been collected from plant roots in Japan and screened for the presence of antibiotic-synthesizing genes. In total, 927 hydrogen cyanide (HCN)-, 47 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol (PHL)-, 6 pyoluteorin (PLT)-, 14 pyrrolnitrin (PRN)-, and 8 phenazine (PHZ)-producing isolates have been detected. A cluster analysis (≥99% identity) identified 10 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in antibiotic biosynthesis gene-possessing pseudomonads.

Effects of organic amendments on the natural attenuation of radiocesium transferability in grassland soils with high potassium fertility.

Organic amendments affect the behavior of radiocesium in soil-plant systems in a complex way; they can inhibit radiocesium fixation by clay minerals by blocking selective sorption sites, whereas K supplied to the soil solution by amendments can reduce Cs uptake by plant roots. Here, we investigated the influence of inorganic and organic amendments on the transferability of radiocesium from soil to grass seedling in a humus-rich Andosol with high exchangeable K content. Soil samples were spiked with aCs tracer, treated with N, N-P-K, compost (cattle manure using rice straw), or no amendment (control soil), and subjected to repeated two-week wetting and air-drying treatments for one year in an artificial climate chamber.

Assessment of bacterial communities of black soybean grown in fields.

Since the domestication of soybean () about 4,500 years ago, thousands of local cultivars have been developed around the world. In Japan, black soybeans grown in the mountainous region of central Kyoto and Hyogo prefectures, called the Tamba region, are well known for large seeds and palatability. The yields of black soybean in the Tamba region of Kyoto have decreased during the past few decades, and the involvement of rhizosphere microbes in the yield decline has been suggested.

Soil-soil solution distribution coefficient of soil organic matter is a key factor for that of radioiodide in surface and subsurface soils.

We investigated the vertical distribution of the soil-soil-solution distribution coefficients (K) of I, Cs, and Sr in organic-rich surface soil and organic-poor subsurface soil of a pasture and an urban forest near a spent-nuclear-fuel reprocessing plant in Rokkasho, Japan. K of Cs was highly correlated with water-extractable K. K of Sr was highly correlated with water-extractable Ca and SOC.

Determination of Iodide, Iodate and Total Iodine in Natural Water Samples by HPLC with Amperometric and Spectrophotometric Detection, and Off-line UV Irradiation.

We developed a rapid, simple method for the iodine speciation analysis of water and applied it to natural water samples. Simultaneous determinations of I(-) and IO3(-) were achieved with an HPLC system with amperometric detection for I(-) and spectrophotometric detection after a postcolumn reaction for IO3(-). We determined the I(-) and IO3(-) concentrations in 20-μL water samples within 10 min.

A putative multicopper oxidase, IoxA, is involved in iodide oxidation by Roseovarius sp. strain A-2.

Roseovarius sp. strain A-2 is an aerobic heterotrophic bacterium with a capacity for oxidizing iodide ion (I(-)) to form molecular iodine (I2). In this study, iodide-oxidizing enzyme of strain A-2 was characterized.

Effect of phosphorus levels on the protein profiles of secreted protein and root surface protein of rice.

Plant roots are complicated organs that absorb water and nutrients from the soil. Roots also play an essential role in protecting plants from attack by soil pathogens and develop a beneficial role with some soil microorganisms. Plant-derived rhizosphere proteins (e.

Metagenomic analysis of the rhizosphere soil microbiome with respect to phytic acid utilization.

While phytic acid is a major form of organic phosphate in many soils, plant utilization of phytic acid is normally limited; however, culture trials of Lotus japonicus using experimental field soil that had been managed without phosphate fertilizer for over 90 years showed significant usage of phytic acid applied to soil for growth and flowering and differences in the degree of growth, even in the same culture pot. To understand the key metabolic processes involved in soil phytic acid utilization, we analyzed rhizosphere soil microbial communities using molecular ecological approaches. Although molecular fingerprint analysis revealed changes in the rhizosphere soil microbial communities from bulk soil microbial community, no clear relationship between the microbiome composition and flowering status that might be related to phytic acid utilization of L.

Analysis of diversity of diazotrophic bacteria associated with the rhizosphere of a tropical Arbor, Melastoma malabathricum L.

The diversity of diazotrophic bacteria in the rhizosphere of Melastoma malabathricum L. was investigated by cloning-sequencing of the nifH gene directly amplified from DNA extracted from soil. Samples were obtained from the rhizosphere and bulk soil of M.

Plant growth promotion abilities and microscale bacterial dynamics in the rhizosphere of Lupin analysed by phytate utilization ability.

In the rhizosphere, phosphorus (P) levels are low because of P uptake into the roots. Rhizobacteria live on carbon (C) exuded from roots, and may contribute to plant nutrition by liberating P from organic compounds such as phytates. We isolated over 300 phytate (Na-inositol hexa-phosphate; Na-IHP)-utilizing bacterial strains from the rhizosheath and the rhizoplane of Lupinus albus (L.