Bio - geochemical behavior of 90 Sr and 137 Cs in tropical soil

In this work TF values for Sr and Cs were measured for reference plants grown in lysimeters containing soils representative of large agricultural areas in Brazil: Ferralsol, Nitisol and Acrisol. These results were discussed in the light of pedological analyses and results from the follow sequential chemical extraction protocol: 1) slightly acidic phase containing readily bioavailable elements; 2) easily reducible phase containing elements bound to Mn oxides; 3) oxidizable phase containing elements bound to labile organic matter; 4) alkaline phase containing mainly elements bound to Fe compounds; 5) resistant phase not potentially available to crops. These results showed that the main soil factors influencing the Cs transfer to these soils were: exchangeable K, organic matter and iron oxides content. These results showed that Sr plant uptake was influenced by exchangeable Ca. All these finds are in accord with previous studies and seems confirm the vulnerability of Ferralsol and Acrisol to Cs contamination.