NUKLEONIKA 2005, 50(1):31-35
G. Bystrzejewska-Piotrowska, A. Drożdż, R. Stęborowski
Isotopic Laboratory, Faculty of Biology,
Warsaw University, 1 Miecznikowa Str., 02-096 Warsaw, Poland
Experiments were carried out to determine uptake and distribution of 137Cs, and total isotopes
of Cs and K in plants of heather (Calluna vulgaris) growing at two levels of CsCl: 0.03 and
0.3 mM.
Levels of Cs and K were determined in soil and in parts of plants: roots, stem, leaves and flowers.
Also calculated were: (i) transfer factor of Cs and K from soil to parts of plant and (ii)
discrimination of K by Cs during the transport of Cs from roots to aboveground parts
of plants, expressed as K/Cs discrimination factor. The results confirmed that heather plants are
hyper-accumulators of cesium, because the accumulation of Cs in shoot was much greater than in roots.
The K level in heather did not change at Cs concentrations as high as 8-fold Cs level in this plant.
Heather plants seem to be relatively resistant to cesium toxicity at 0.3 mM of CsCl; the effect of
exposure to CsCl at this concentration was exerted only on roots, without affecting leaves and flowers.
These results supply new information on the interactions between Cs and K nutrition in plants; they also
point to a possible role of heather in redistribution of the radiocesium pollution in the forest
ecosystem.