Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 2, 2026

Combined Size and Density Fractionation of Soils for Investigations of Organo-Mineral Interactions
Published on: February 15, 2019
An overview of the effect of organic matter on soil-radiocaesium interaction: implications in root uptake
1Department de Química Analítica, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain. anna.rigol@apolo.qui.ub.es
Abstract:
This paper aims to give an overview of the effect of organic matter on soil-radiocaesium interaction and its implications on soil-to-plant transfer. Studies carried out after the Chernobyl accident have shown that high 137CS soil-to-plant transfer persists in organic soils over years. In most of these soils, the specific sites in clays control radiocaesium adsorption, organic compounds having an indirect effect. Only in organic soils with more than 95% of organic matter content and negligible clay content does adsorption occur mostly on non-specific sites. After a contamination event, two main factors account for the high transfer: the low solid-liquid distribution coefficient, which is due to the low clay content and high NH4+ concentration in the soil solution, and the low K+ availability, which enhances root uptake. The estimation of the reversibly adsorbed fraction, by means of desorption protocols, agrees with the former conclusions, since it cannot be correlated with the organic matter content and shows the lack of specificity of the adsorption in the organic phase. Moreover, the time-dependent pattern of the exchangeable fraction is related to soil-plant transfer dynamics.
Related Concept Videos
Biological Effects of Radiation
Soil Microbial Ecology
The Roles of Bacteria and Fungi in Plant Nutrition
The Soil Ecosystem
Microbial Bioremediation of Uranium
Water and Mineral Acquisition