¹³³Cesium Uptake by 10 Ornamental Plant Species Cultivated Under Hydroponic Conditions

Abstract

We focused on the Cs uptake capacities of ornamental flowers. Ornamentals have the advantage of beautifying contaminated environments, and this may have therapeutic effects for individuals, especially in disaster areas. Furthermore, the use of ornamental plants will reduce the risk of pollutants entering the food chain. We hypothesized a strong correlation between high aboveground biomass and high Cs uptake in plants. We assessed the potential of 10 ornamental plant species for remediation of 133 Cesium in hydroponic solutions. Sunflower, rapeseed, and cosmos took up larger amounts of 133 Cs and showed better growth rates than the other 7 species. When these 3 species were exposed to 3 different concentrations of 133 Cs (0.5, 2, and 5 mg/L CsCl), more than 48% of the 133 Cs was remediated after 7 days in each case. The highest remediation rate was 67%, by sunflowers grown in 5 mg/L CsCl. Among the 3 species, shoot and root dry weights were highest in sunflower and lowest in cosmos. The rate of 133 Cs uptake was strongly correlated with aboveground plant biomass. The 133 Cs concentration did not affect plant growth rates in any of the three species.

Multi-Element Profile Characterization of Monofloral and Polyfloral Honey from Latvia

“…The K content in heather honey was not significantly different from the other studied floral origins but tended to be relatively high, while in the case of Rb, it was exceptionally high. 133 Cs is considered to be efficiently taken up by rapeseed [39], but our study showed no accumulation in honey. Otherwise, it was quantified in heather honey (0.24 ± 0.9 mg/kg) and found in polyfloral honeys rich with heather pollen (P2, P3, P8).…”