Influence of spring barley seed treatment with mycorrhiza-forming fungi of the genus Glomus on ¹³⁷Cs accumulation in the vegetative organs of the plants.

Tests of nuclear weapons, routine and accidental releases of radionuclides from nuclear fuel cycle facilities, on one hand, and the long half-life decay time of ¹³⁷Cs have led to significant levels of accumulation of this radioactive isotope in environmental objects in vast territories, which can have a negative impact on biota and public health. The search for effective methods to limit the transfer of radionuclides into food chains and remediate contaminated areas remains a pressing issue. One of the factors influencing the transfer of ¹³⁷Cs from soil to plants is soil microbiom. The main hypothesis of this study is that developing arbuscular mycorrhizaon plant root systems leads to increasing the availability of cesium isotopes for root absorption and enhances their accumulation in underground and aboveground parts of plants. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the significance of arbuscular mycorrhiza in the root uptake of ¹³⁷Cs from soil into a model plant.

The vegetative experiment was conducted with barley variety Burshtyn chosen as a model plant. Mycorrhization of the root system was performed using the MycoApply SuperConcentrate inoculant. The results of the experiment allowed for the first time to demonstrate the relationship between accumulation and distribution parameters of ¹³⁷Cs in barley plants with the level of arbuscular mycorrhiza development in the plant root system. Developing mycorrhizal infection in the barley root system increased the transfer factor of ¹³⁷Cs from soil to the aboveground organs of barley 1.8–2.6 times compared to the control.

At the same time, there is a tendency towards a decrease in the activity concentration of the radionuclide in the root system. 

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