Reconstruction support of the disaster-stricken areas in the city of Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, was started in May 2011. Sediment transported from the sea by the tsunami was from 5 to 10 cm thick on surface of the paddy fi elds. The tsunami sediment was mixed with the original soil of the paddy fi elds, and mole drains were formed to improve water drainage toward the lower layer. Subsequently, rainwater alone was used for salt removal. However, the pyrite in the soil had gradually oxidized until the pH dropped to 3.8, so converter slag was applied to neutralize the sulfuric acid. In May 2012, rice was transplanted into paddies from which the salt had been removed. On September, 10.7 t brown rice was harvested. The yield of brown rice harvested per hectare was 6.3 t, about 20 % higher than the amount before the disasters.
This chapter conveys the sense of crisis and mission felt by students who participated in soil survey analyses to help restore paddy fi elds immensely damaged by the tsunami. Also, it presents the background and hard work that led to the harvesting and sale of "Soma Revival Rice". This rice was grown on tsunami-damaged paddy fi elds recovered through a method developed by the Tokyo University of Agriculture.
In April 2012, the paddy fi eld located 20.8 km from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station was divided into six plots to apply zeolite and potassium chloride, and a cultivation test of rice was carried out. The concentration of radiocesium in the brown rice was highest in the control plot at 17 Bq/kg, but in plots where zeolite and potassium fertilizer were applied, the concentrations had decreased to 5-6 Bq/kg. The effi cacy of zeolite effi cacy in inhibiting the absorption of radiocesium by rice plants is considered to be mainly the result of its ability to adsorb ammonium and potassium ions, thereby inhibiting the leaching and outfl ow of nitrogen and potassium from the plow layer. Radioactive Concentration of Paddy Field on Which a Test Planting of Rice Was Carried OutWe measured radioactive concentration in plow layer samples (at 15 cm) taken from a paddy fi eld located in the city of Minamisoma, 20.8 km from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, and the total radiocesium concentration was
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