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Labelling plants in the Chernobyl way: A new 137Cs and 14C foliar application approach to investigate rhizodeposition and biopore reuse

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Abstract

Background and aims

Biopores as microbial hotspots provide additional nutrients to crops – but only if their roots grow within the biopores. Such reuse has never been quantified as pre-crop-specific biopores are hardly differentiated from the multitude of pre-existing biopores. Quantification requires e.g. radionuclide labelling of pre-crops (137Cs, to label their biopores) and main crops (14C, to detect new roots). Preliminary testing was performed on simulated biopore reuse: both nuclides given to the same plant were excreted into the same rhizosphere.

Methods

Cichorium intybus (cv. Puna) and Medicago sativa (cv. Planet) were each sequentially labelled via the leaves with 137Cs and 14CO2. β-signals were visualised by imaging of horizontal soil cuts - with and without shielding off the weaker 14C.

Results

Both species allocated 7.1–9.4% of the 137Cs and 21–63% of the 14C below ground. The first image gave both activities; while the second gave only 137Cs. Subtracting the second from the first image gave the 14C distribution, resulting in successful separation of the signals. Thus, separate spatial representations of the roots were obtained. Main root locations by 137Cs and 14C showed a very high spatial overlap coefficient (> 0.95).

Conclusions

Biopore reuse quantification likely becomes feasible with this sequential labelling and shielding approach.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the German Research Foundation (KU 1184/29-1). We would like to thank Gabriele Lehmann and Rainer Schulz of the Laboratory for Radioisotopes (LARI) of the University of Goettingen for their advice, support and measurements.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Soil Science of Temperate Ecosystems, Georg-August-University of Goettingen, Buesgenweg 2, 37077, Goettingen, Germany

    Callum C. Banfield & Yakov Kuzyakov

  2. Division of Soil Hydrology, Georg-August-University of Goettingen, Buesgenweg 2, 37077, Goettingen, Germany

    Mohsen Zarebanadkouki

  3. Laboratory for Radioisotopes, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, Georg-August-University of Goettingen, Buesgenweg 2, 37077, Goettingen, Germany

    Bernd Kopka

  4. Department of Agricultural Soil Science, Georg-August-University of Goettingen, Buesgenweg 2, 37077, Goettingen, Germany

    Yakov Kuzyakov

Authors
  1. Callum C. Banfield
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  2. Mohsen Zarebanadkouki
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Correspondence to Callum C. Banfield.

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Responsible Editor: Eric Paterson.

Electronic supplementary material

ESM 1

Leaf feeding of Cichorium intybus with 137CsCl solution in action (JPEG 501 kb)

ESM 2

Imaging of one Medicago sativa shoot, exposure was 3 h with 6 layers of polypropylene to shield off 14C, showing the mobility of 137Cs (GIF 225 kb)

High Resolution image (TIFF 5227 kb)

ESM 3

Imaging of one Cichorium intybus shoot, exposure was 3 h with 6 layers of polypropylene to shield off 14C, showing the mobility of 137Cs (GIF 206 kb)

High Resolution image (TIFF 4942 kb)

ESM 4

All replicates of the imaging of Medicago sativa. Top: Quantum level (QL) data of 137Cs and 14C activities; below: QL data for the 137Cs activity only (JPEG 813 kb)

High Resolution image (TIFF 3545 kb)

ESM 5

All replicates of the imaging of Cichorium intybus. Top: Quantum level (QL) data of 137Cs and 14C activities; below: QL data for the 137Cs activity only (JPEG 755 kb)

High Resolution image (TIFF 3403 kb)

ESM 6

Physico-chemical properties of the Ap horizon of the Haplic Luvisol. Data compiled from Dippold and Kuzyakov (2016) and Gunina et al. (2014) (DOCX 16 kb)

ESM 7

A shielding and exposure pre-test with Hostaphan® film (to protect the imaging plate; left side) and Hostaphan® film plus 3 layers of polypropylene for shielding (right side). Activities increasing from 1 to 125 Bq of 14C–glucose were applied to coated paper. All 14C was shielded off (right side). Please note, the signals in case of higher 14C activities were visually discernible after shielding (right side; identifiers 7–11), but were in fact only marginally above the background value (36 PSL vs 21 PSL of the background). The number of PP films was increased after this test (JPEG 259 kb)

High Resolution image (TIFF 1578 kb)

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Banfield, C.C., Zarebanadkouki, M., Kopka, B. et al. Labelling plants in the Chernobyl way: A new 137Cs and 14C foliar application approach to investigate rhizodeposition and biopore reuse. Plant Soil 417, 301–315 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-017-3260-7

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