Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry

, Volume 306, Issue 1, pp 301–308 | Cite as

The interception and wash-off fraction of 7Be by bean plants in the context of its use as a soil radiotracer

  • Andra-Rada Iurian
  • Gerd Dercon
  • Joseph Adu-Gyamfi
  • Lionel Mabit
  • Gyula Kis-Benedek
  • Alessia Ceccatelli
  • Sandor Tarjan
  • William Blake
Article

Abstract

In soil redistribution studies employing 7Be, the radionuclide inventories and their spatial uniformity in soil can be influenced by the crop coverage conditions. A relatively high 7Be interception factor, normalized to the leaf area index (LAI), of 0.61 ± 0.08 (LAI value 0.87 ± 0.06) was determined after 0.4 mm precipitation. After a second 7.2 mm rainfall, the interception factor had a value of 0.36 ± 0.04, for 0.30 ± 0.02 LAI value. Wash-off experiments with deionized water showed that the released 7Be fraction was limited within a range of 29–37 % of the initial concentration of leaf deposit.

Keywords

7Be Foliar interception Wash-off fraction Depth penetration Short-term erosion 

Notes

Acknowledgments

This research is a follow-up contribution to the IAEA Coordinated Research Project D.1.20.11: ‘Integrated isotopic approaches for an area-wide precision conservation to control the impacts of agricultural practices on land degradation and soil erosion’. The authors acknowledge the support provided by Mr. Minh-Long Nguyen and Mr. Manfred Groening at the different stages of the project. The help of Mr. Arsenio Toloza during sample collection and handling is much appreciated.

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Copyright information

© Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, Hungary 2015

Authors and Affiliations

  • Andra-Rada Iurian
    • 1
    • 2
  • Gerd Dercon
    • 2
  • Joseph Adu-Gyamfi
    • 2
  • Lionel Mabit
    • 2
  • Gyula Kis-Benedek
    • 3
  • Alessia Ceccatelli
    • 3
  • Sandor Tarjan
    • 3
  • William Blake
    • 4
  1. 1.Faculty of Environmental Science and EngineeringBabeş-Bolyai UniversityCluj-NapocaRomania
  2. 2.Soil and Water Management & Crop Nutrition Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Division for Nuclear Techniques in Food and AgricultureVienna International CentreViennaAustria
  3. 3.Terrestrial Environment Laboratory, IAEA Environment Laboratories, Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, International Atomic Energy AgencyVienna International CentreViennaAustria
  4. 4.School of Geography, Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of PlymouthPlymouthUK

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