Plutonium Uptake by Beans at Different Stages of Vegetation

The process of plutonium uptake by plants is influenced by many factors, which leads to very variable quantitative indices of its uptake. In the vegetation experiment, the uptake of plutonium in the system soil — agricultural plant was studied in different vegetation periods of beans (Fabaceae) of the Yantarnye variety. The analysis of the specific activity of plutonium in the soil and plants was carried out using radiochemical isolation by the method of ion-exchange chromatography. The activity of plutonium isotopes was measured in alpha spectrometers Alpha Duo, ORTEC. The Concentration Ratio was used to estimate the absorption of plutonium. The values of Concentration Ratio obtained during the study indicate its unequal uptake in different periods of plant growth and development. The Concentration Ratio were as follows: on day 14 — (4.5 ± 0.7) × 10 in the first pair of true trifoliate leaves phase, on day 22 — (3.5 ± 0.5) × 10 in the stem branching phase, on day 33 — (4.5 ± 0.6) × 10 in the stem branching phase, on day 47 — (1.8 ± 0.3) × 10 in the budding phase, on day 52 — (4.5 ± 0.7) × 10 in the flowering phase, on day 63 — (7.7 ± 1.2) × 10 in the bean formation phase. The results of the conducted vegetation experiment indicate that the most intensive uptake of plutonium by beans occurs during the transition to generative development at the budding stage.