Investigations on 137Cs and 90Sr soil-to-plant transfer from soils contaminated by Chernobyl fallout

Radiological models use transfer factors to describe the movement of radionuclides in ecosystems. One of the most important factors is the soil-to-plant transfer value: TF = (Bq/kg plant-fresh weight)/(Bq/kg soil-dry weight). In the present paper results from four Austrian countries (Upper Austria, Lower Austria, Burgenland and Styria) for 137Cs and 90Sr are shown. The highest mean 137Cs-transfer values were obtained for straw of cereals. In most cases 90Sr-transfer was one order of magnitude higher than the 137Cs-transfer. 90Sr showed a significantly lower mobility in the investigated plants as compared to 137Cs. (Authors, shortened by Quittner) Also appeared in the proceedings of the 102nd congress of the German society for agricultural research institutions 1990 in Berlin