SCREENING OF PLANT-SPECIES FOR COMPARATIVE UPTAKE ABILITIES OF RADIOACTIVE CO, RB, SR AND CS FROM SOIL

In case of radioactive fallout, persistence of long lived nuclides in soil and subsequent transfer into the food chain through plants over a long period is the key factor. The possibility of ''phytoremediation' ' is suggested to reduce the radionuclides in soil, To exploit the nat ural potential of some plants in absorbing or accumulating certain rad ionuclides and depleting the soil radioactivity, thirty-two plant spec ies were tested under laboratory conditions for their comparative abil ity in taking up radioactive Rb, Co, Sr and Cs. Broccoli and tomato fo r Co; tomato, chard, sunflower and cucumber for Rb; cucumber, sunflowe r and turnip (Kyona) for Sr, and tomato, chard and cucumber for Cs wer e found to be effective compared to other species tested.