Assessment of radiological efficiency of countermeasures on peat-bog soils of Ukrainian Polissya

In the field conditions, the long-term (2013–2015) small-plots experiment was carried out for evaluation of radiological efficiency of application of ameliorants as the countermeasures for reduction of the ¹³⁷Cs uptake to herbage at the Peat-boggy (Histosols) soils of Ukrainian Polissya. At the late stage after the Chernobyl accident, the average radiological efficiencies of application of sand (175–200 ton ha⁻¹) and ferrocyn (0.2 ton ha⁻¹) as the ameliorants were rather low ranging from 0.8 to 1.6. Application of 4 ton ha-1 of chalk and 5 ton ha-1 of peat ash decreased 1.7–1.9 times the ¹³⁷Cs activity concentrations in plans. The highest radiological efficiencies, 4.4 ± 2.0 and 7 ± 2, were reached at applications of chalk-ferrocyn ameliorant (4 + 0.2 ton ha⁻¹) and ferrocyn-bentonite absorbent HZH-90 (30 ton ha⁻¹), respectively. - Highlights: • Application of ameliorants reduces soil-to-plant transfer of radiocesium to herbage. • Efficiencies of several ameliorants to reduce transfer at peat-bog soil were compared. • The highest efficiencies were in the first harvest after the ameliorants application. • Among other ameliorants, the highest efficiency had ferrocyn-bentonite absorbent. • Efficiencies of application of ferrocyn and sand were very low.