203Hg tracer studies on mercury uptake from soil by wheat and barley

The results of a study on the uptake of 203Hg-labeled mercuric cations from the soil by wheat and barley are reported. The 203Hg activity, as mercuric nitrate, was applied either in a 1.0 ml aqueous solution added as one spot near the seed or as a 25 ml solution thoroughly mixed with the soil. Uptake was significantly greater when the 203Hg was thoroughly mixed with the soil. The results show that while wheat and barley do assimilate some of the added mercuric ions, the actual magnitudes of these uptakes are very small. (U.S.)