Microbial component of radiocaesium retention in highly organic soils

The mobility of radiocaesium in the environment and its availability for pl ant uptake are strongly dependent on the processes controlling its retentio n in soils. The role of the soil microbial biomass in radiocaesium retentio n may be important in highly organic soils, yet this role has received litt le attention. Currently, the techniques used to assess radiocaesium retenti on tend to ignore the microbial component and, as a result, may compromise assessment of retention. We present here evidence that the microbial compon ent cannot be ignored in such assays and propose changes that recognise the importance of maintaining biological activity in samples of organic soils. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.