Soil-Specific Microbial and Cultivar Effects on Radiocesium Uptake in Brassica Plants from Fukushima-Contaminated Soils
摘要
Numerous factors influence the transfer of radiocesium (RCs) from contaminated soils to plants, with soil properties, plant traits, and microbial communities playing key roles. This study investigated the effects of soil type, plant cultivar, and inoculation with potassium-solubilizing bacteria (KSB) on RCs uptake by Brassica plants grown in Fukushima-contaminated soils. Two pot experiments were conducted using brown forest soil and andosol from Fukushima. The first assessed RCs uptake in ten cultivars of B. juncea, B. napus, and B. rapa grown in these soils. The second tested the effects of newly isolated KSB from Fukushima soils on RCs uptake by a B. juncea cultivar. Experiment one revealed no strong effects of cultivar or species on RCs uptake; however, uptake was significantly higher in andosol than in brown forest soil, indicating a strong soil-dependent uptake. RCs and K contents in plant shoots were positively correlated across soil type, suggesting shared uptake mechanisms. In experiment two, KSB inoculation generally led to contrasting RCs uptake patterns, increasing uptake in brown forest soil and decreasing it in andosol. In brown forest soil, inoculation potentially promoted RCs desorption via K-solubilization, increasing its bioavailability and uptake, as supported by the positive correlation between K and RCs in shoots. In andosol, inoculation likely increased K⁺ availability, competitively inhibiting Cs⁺ uptake, as indicated by the absence of correlation between K and RCs. Overall, soil type had a stronger influence than bacterial genus on RCs uptake by the plant, with genus-level effects being minor and not statistically significant.