Cesium Accumulation in Paddy Field Rice Grown in Fukushima from 2011 to 2013: Cultivars and Fertilization

Abstract

After the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, radioactive cesium (Cs) was released and the agricultural fields in Fukushima were contaminated. It became important to obtain data for radioactive Cs accumulation in rice grown in contaminated fields. We conducted a 3-year investigation in a Fukushima paddy field of radioactive Cs concentrations in various rice cultivars, and in two commercial rice cultivars grown under four different nutrient conditions. Our studies demonstrated substantial variation in radioactive Cs concentrations among the rice cultivars, and an increase in radioactive Cs concentrations in straw and brown rice under high nitrogen and low potassium conditions. Our 3-year investigations of radioactive Cs-contaminated rice in Fukushima paddy field shows that the rice grown in Fukushima is now well-monitored and contains much less than the allowed levels of radiation (100 Bq kg À1 ).

Agricultural land management options after the Chernobyl and Fukushima accidents: The articulation of science, technology, and society

“…Agricultural crop selection was also investigated in Japan as a countermeasure for reducing Cs uptake in the food chain. Ohmori et al (2013) reported a 10-fold difference in Cs uptake for 58 rice cultivators. A similar reduction was obtained growing oriza bean (Win et al 2016).…”

Effects of nitrogen on caesium allocation in rice plants (Oryzasativa)

“…Deficiency of K leads to enhanced Cs accumulation in rice plants (Nobori et al., 2016; Ohmori et al . 2016). Uptake of Cs in K‐deficient environments is mediated primarily by the high affinity K transporter, OsHAK1 (Nieves‐Cordones et al., 2017; Rai et al., 2017).…”

“…At the same time, field studies in Cs‐contaminated rice paddies showed that increased N fertilization enhanced Cs uptake under reduced K fertilization conditions (Ohmori et al . 2016). This may be due to increased Cs availability in the rhizosphere, as Cs in the soil can be exchanged with ammonium ions (Ohmori et al., 2016).…”

“…2016). This may be due to increased Cs availability in the rhizosphere, as Cs in the soil can be exchanged with ammonium ions (Ohmori et al., 2016).…”