A Study of ²²⁶ Ra Concentration Ratios for Leafy Vegetables

The aim of this work is to study the factors that influence the ²²⁶Ra uptake by two types of leafy vegetables collected from different farms in Al Sharqiya region in Saudi Arabia with their corresponding soils and irrigation waters. Quality assurance and validation of the radio analyses for the different samples matrices were carried out. It was a reasonable approach to determine the ²²⁶Ra concentration ratios on the basis of both the exchangeable and total ²²⁶Ra content in the soils. It was found that the activity concentration of ²²⁶Ra in soils is independent of its corresponding activities in irrigation water but correlates well with the soil content of clay and silt. No significant dependency of the ²²⁶Ra concentration ratios for the studied vegetables on the radium total activities in soils. Good negative correlations were found between the organic matter content of soils and the concentration ratios of ²²⁶Ra in cabbage and lettuce. Some variations of the ²²⁶Ra uptake were found through the two leafy vegetables which may be explained by other factors related to the metabolic characteristics of the plant species. The ²²'6Ra concentration ratios based on the exchangeable radium leached from soil for cabbage and lettuce were found to be higher than those determined on the basis of its total activity in soil. The exchangeable ²²⁶Ra may contribute for a better understanding of its uptake by leafy vegetables in these farms