Effects of rice‐straw and phosphorus application on production and emission of methane from tropical rice soil

Rice‐straw amendment increased methane production by 3‐fold over that of unamended control. Application of P as single superphosphate at 100 μg (g soil)^–1 inhibited methane (CH₄) production distinctly in flooded alluvial rice soil, in the absence more than in the presence of rice straw. CH₄ emission from rice plants (cv. IR72) from alluvial soil treated with single superphosphate as basal application, in the presence and absence of rice straw, and held under non‐flooded and flooded conditions showed distinct variations. CH₄ emission from non‐flooded soil amended with rice straw was high and almost similar to that of flooded soil without rice‐straw amendment. The cumulative CH₄ efflux was highest (1041 mg pot^–1) in rice‐straw‐amended flooded soil. Appreciable methanogenic reactions in rice‐straw‐amended soils were evident under both flooded and non‐flooded conditions. Rice‐straw application substantially altered the balance between total aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms even in non‐flooded soil. The mitigating effects of single‐superphosphate application or low‐moisture regime on CH₄ production and emission were almost nullified due to enhanced activities of methanogenic archaea in the presence of rice straw.     

Radio-caesium fixation dynamics: measurement in six Cumbrian soils

Five peat soils and a mineral soil were artificially contaminated with ¹³⁷Cs. Soil solution activity and radio–lability of ¹³⁷Cs were monitored over 709 days to quantify progressive ¹³⁷Cs fixation. The peat soils fixed large amounts of ¹³⁷Cs, but less than the mineral soil did. Distribution coefficients (K_d, cm³ g^?1) ranged from 30 to 5000 at the end of equilibration. A labile ¹³⁷Cs distribution coefficient, K_dt, was estimated by a method involving solid ? solution equilibration in dilute solution. In a separate study several concentrations of KCl were added to soils in increasing concentration both before and after the addition of ¹³⁷Cs. Differences in apparent adsorption strength of radiocaesium indicated that K⁺ induced the collapse of expanded mineral interlayers, thereby trapping ions. It seemed that ^I37Cs adsorbs at sites in the small micaceous clay fraction of the peat soils. The different rates of ¹³⁷Cs adsorption and fixation in the peat and mineral soils, in which the rate of access of ¹³⁷Cs to fixation sites in peat soils is less, seems to have been caused partly by lack of K, and partly by the scarcity of fixation sites.     

Vertical distribution and bioavailability of 137Cs in organic and mineral soils

The vertical distribution and bioavailability of ¹³⁷Cs in Histosols and mineral soils with different physicochemical properties from the southeast of Bavaria (Germany) more than ten years after the Chernobyl accident were the focus of this study. The vertical distribution of ¹³⁷Cs was low in the investigated soils. About 85–98 % of the total ¹³⁷Cs was located in the upper 10 cm of the mineral soils. Slightly higher ¹³⁷Cs percentages were observed in deeper soil layers of the peat soils. Although the organic matter is assumed to enhance ¹³⁷Cs mobility in soils, ¹³⁷Cs was also located in the upper 10 cm of the peat soils (73–85 %). The highest ¹³⁷Cs‐activities were found in the humus layers of forest soils, where 45–93 % of the total ¹³⁷Cs soil inventories were observed. To determine the bioavailability of radiocesium, the soil‐to‐plant transfer of ¹³⁷Cs and additionally added ¹³⁴Cs was investigated under controlled conditions. The results revealed that the ^134+137Cs soil‐to‐plant transfer factors as well as the percentages of NH₄‐exchangeable ^134+137Cs were much higher for the peat soils and humus layers than for the mineral soils. Nevertheless, the migration of ¹³⁷Cs from the humus layers to the underlying soils was low. Considering the high bioavailability and low migration of radiocesium in the humus layers, it is suggested that radiocesium is involved in a shortcut element cycle in the system humus layer‐plant uptake‐litter. Furthermore, the organic matter has to be taken into account for radiocesium immobilization.     

Influence of flooding on exchangeability and release of stable and radioactive cesium in contaminated paddy soil

ABSTRACT

An incubation experiment was conducted to clarify how soil flooding influences the mobility of radioactive cesium (RCs: ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs) in paddy soil after aging, focusing on the effects of ammonium increase and soil reduction. We used two contaminated paddy soils (A and B, both Gleyic Fluvisols) aged for 26 months after the Tokyo Electric Power Company’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accidents, and analyzed both the RCs and stable cesium (¹³³Cs). The soils were incubated in a flooded condition, with or without the addition of ammonium fertilizer, for 1, 15 and 30 d, and in an unflooded condition for 30 d. After the incubation periods, we quantified ¹³³Cs concentration in the soil solution, ¹³³Cs and RCs released from soil in 0.01 mol L^–1 calcium chloride solution as parameters of release intensity, and ¹³³Cs and RCs extracted with 1 mol L^?1 ammonium acetate solution as exchangeable quantities, and analyzed their relationship with ammonium content and redox condition in soil. The increase of ammonium by both ammonification and fertilizer application promoted release of exchangeable ¹³³Cs and RCs to the soil solution and calcium solution. When ammonium content became low during unflooded incubation, exchangeable ¹³³Cs and RCs themselves decreased. When soil reduction progressed with flooded incubation, however, exchangeable ¹³³Cs and RCs decreased, despite high ammonium content. To estimate the influence of soil reduction on the exchangeability of RCs, soil A was sequentially extracted with sodium hydrosulfite (a reducing agent) and ammonium acetate solutions. Compared with a control treatment using sodium sulfate instead of sodium hydrosulfite, the total RCs extracted by the reducing treatment was 42% lower, indicating that soil reduction decreases RCs exchangeability. Through these analyses of ¹³³Cs and RCs, we conclude that soil flooding influences the mobility of aged RCs through two opposite effects: the release of exchangeable RCs into soil solution is enhanced with increased ammonium, while the exchangeable RCs itself decreases due to soil reduction.     

赣南红壤丘陵区137Cs示踪土壤侵蚀对土壤养分元素的影响

赣南红壤丘陵区是我国土壤侵蚀与土地退化比较严重的地区,以南丰县为例,应用137 Cs示踪技术探讨不同土地利用方式下土壤侵蚀与养分元素的关系。结果表明:(1)湿地松林、桔园、水田3种土地利用方式作用下土壤中137 Cs与养分元素分布差异显著,在垂直剖面上,湿地松林137 Cs含量呈指数递减分布,水田与桔园137 Cs含量因人为干扰在耕层内均匀分布;有机质与137 Cs有相似的分布特征;全氮、碱解氮、速效磷、速效钾含量均呈现一定表聚性。(2)位于坡地的2种土地利用方式中,湿地松林137 Cs、全氮、碱解氮、速效磷、速效钾、有机质含量均表现为下坡>上坡>中坡;桔园137 Cs活度表现为中坡>下坡>上坡,全氮、碱解氮、速效磷表现为下坡>中坡>上坡,而速效钾、有机质最大值均出现在上坡。(3)相关性分析表明,土壤137 Cs与有机质、全氮、碱解氮显著正相关,表明小流域有机质、氮元素可能与137 Cs有相同的物理运移方式,pH与137 Cs显著负相关,速效磷、速效钾则与137 Cs不相关。(4)3种土地利用方式中位于小流域谷地的水田137 Cs、有机质、全氮、碱解氮含量最高,坡地上桔园坡面137 Cs与土壤养分元素含量均高于湿地松林地,表明一定程度的坡改梯桔园种植模式能有效缓解土壤侵蚀与养分流失,改善区域生态环境。     

Flooding effects on soil phenol oxidase activity and phenol release during rice straw decomposition

Phenol oxidase (Pox) plays a key role in soil C cycle and its presence may affect soil C mineralization during crop residue decomposition. To examine soil dynamics and relationships between Pox, phenols, Fe²⁺, and C mineralization, we designed a 53‐d laboratory experiment conducted with and without rice straw addition and under non‐flooded and flooded conditions. The results demonstrate that rice straw can indeed decompose faster under flooded conditions. The addition of rice straw significantly increased soil Pox activity (up to 15‐fold), but only under flooded conditions. Rice straw application increased alkali extractable phenol (AEP) concentration by 129% at day 4. However, flooded conditions reduced soil AEP by 61% and 49% at day 53 with and without rice straw application, respectively. Phenol oxidase activity was positively correlated with dissolved organic C and Fe²⁺, while negatively related to AEP, which itself was positively correlated with C mineralization (i.e., CO₂ emission rates). Also, all relationships between soil Pox, AEP, Fe²⁺, and C were stronger under flooded conditions. We therefore conclude that flooded conditions in paddy soil may promote straw decomposition as a result of the stimulation of Pox activity and phenol decomposition.     

Role of plants in the spatial differentiation of <Superscript>137</Superscript>Cs and <Superscript>90</Superscript>Sr statuses on the aggregate level

The increased concentration of an element in plant biomass compared to the soil mass is an essential condition for the differentiated spatial distribution and status of the element on the aggregate level. Two forms of this differentiation have been revealed for ¹³⁷Cs and ⁹⁰Sr. Transfer of ¹³⁷Cs from plant roots and concentration on the surface of soil aggregates have been established experimentally. Indirect data also point to the potential localization of ¹³⁷Cs on the surface of intraaggregate pores. The effect of radionuclide concentrating on the outer and inner surfaces of aggregates is due to the rapid and strong fixation of cesium microamounts by mineral soil components. ¹³⁷Cs from the surface of aggregates is more available for the repeated uptake by plant roots than from the intraped mass. The distortion of this spatial differentiation mainly occurs during the reaggregation of soil mass, which in turn decreases the availability of the radionuclide to plants. For ⁹⁰Sr, its elevated concentration in the form of organic residues has been revealed in the inter- and intraaggregate pore space. However, due to the high diffusion rate, ⁹⁰Sr is relatively rapidly (during several months under pot experimental conditions) redistributed throughout the entire volume of soil aggregates and its major part gradually passes into the phase of humic compounds, to which the radionuclide is bound by exchange sorption. The high level of the next root uptake (higher than for ¹³⁷Cs by one to two orders of magnitude) favors the permanent renewal of loci with increased ⁹⁰Sr concentrations in the inter- and intraaggregate pore space in the form of plant residues.     

Effect of the application of polluted wheat (Triticum aestivum L. Thell.) straw during plowing on the transfer of radiocesium from the soil to komatsuna (Brassica rapa L. var. perviridis)

Radioactive substances were released into the environment after the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station; this led to the contamination of the soil at Fukushima Prefecture. Mixing of organic matter with soil during plowing is known to influence radiocesium (¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs) absorption by crops. However, the effect of mixing organic matter polluted by radioactive substances during plowing on radiocesium absorption by plants is not yet known. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect on the radiocesium absorption by komatsuna (Brassica rapa L. var. perviridis) cultivated in a 45-L container containing Andosol (14,300 Bq kg^?1) or Gray Lowland soil (33,500 Bq kg^?1) mixed with polluted wheat (Triticum aestivum L. Thell.) straw (2080 Bq kg^?1). The radiocesium concentration of the plants and the soil and the amount of exchangeable radiocesium in the soil were determined using a germanium semiconductor. The transfer of radiocesium from the soil to plants decreased by 53 and 27% in Andosol and Gray Lowland soil, respectively, after the application of 10 t ha^?1 polluted wheat straw. This reduction in the level of radiocesium transfer might be attributed to potassium contained in the wheat straw, which might compete with cesium during membrane transport and thereby block the transport of cesium from the soil solution to the roots and from the roots to the shoots. Alternatively, the applied wheat straw probably absorbed radiocesium and decreased the amount of exchangeable radiocesium in the soil. Our findings suggest that the mixing of polluted wheat straw with contaminated soil might influence the absorption of radiocesium content by agricultural products. Further studies are warranted to determine the long-term effects of the application of polluted wheat straw on the rate of radiocesium transfer to crops.     

Exchangeable Cs/K ratio in soil is an index to estimate accumulation of radioactive and stable Cs in rice plant

Pot and field experiments were conducted to clarify the effect of soil exchangeable potassium (K) and cesium-137 (¹³⁷Cs) on ¹³⁷Cs accumulation and to establish soil index in rice (Oryza sativa L.). Four paddy soils in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, showing different transfer factors for radioactive Cs derived from the accident of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in the field were compared in terms of ¹³⁷Cs accumulation in rice in a pot experiment. ¹³⁷Cs accumulation in shoots and brown rice widely varied among soils with the transfer factor ranging from 0.018 to 0.068 for shoots and 0.004 to 0.065 for brown rice. ¹³⁷Cs concentration in brown rice and shoots tended to decrease with higher levels of soil exchangeable K, and they were more closely related to the exchangeable Cs/K ratio. Similar relationships between the Cs/K ratio and Cs accumulation in plants were obtained for the stable isotope cesium-133 (¹³³Cs). The distributions of ¹³⁷Cs and ¹³³Cs in grains were also similar and variable among soils. The transfer factors obtained in pot experiments mostly agreed with field observations. The results imply that the exchangeable ¹³⁷Cs/K can be a potential soil index to estimate ¹³⁷Cs accumulation in rice.     

施肥措施对水稻吸收~(137)Cs的影响

研究了施用石灰,褐煤和钾肥等对减少＾１３７Ｃｓ在水稻植株中积累的影响。结果表明,施用相当于土壤阳离子代换量１／２０的钾盐,使水稻对＾１３７Ｃｓ的积累比对照组减少３２％以上,随时间变化,这种效应更加显著。     

Effects of pretreatment and solution chemistry on solubility of rice‐straw phytoliths

Rice is a Si‐accumulator plant, whereby Si has physio‐chemical functions for plant growth. Its straw contains high shares of plant silica bodies, so‐called phytoliths, and can, when returned to the soil, be an important Si fertilizer. Release of Si from phytoliths into soil solution depends on many factors. In order to improve prognosis of availability and management of Si located in phytoliths, in this study we analyzed the effect of pretreatment of rice straw by dry and wet ashing and the soil‐solution composition on Si release. Dry ashing of rice straw was performed at 400°C, 600°C, and 800°C and wet ashing of the original straw and the sample from 400°C treatment with H₂O₂. To identify the impact of soil‐solution chemistry, Si release was measured on separated phytoliths in batch experiments at pH 2–10 and in presence of different cations (Na⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Al³⁺) and anions (Cl^–, NO$ _3^- $ , SO$ _4^{2-} $ , acetate, oxalate, citrate) in the concentration range from 0.1 to 10 mmol_c L^–1. After burning rice straw at 400°C, phytoliths and biochar were major compounds in the ash. At an electrolyte background of 0.01 mol_c L^–1, Si released at pH 6.5 was one order of magnitude higher than at pH 3, where the zeta potential (ζ) was close to zero. Higher ionic strength tended to suppress Si release. The presence of cations increased ζ, indicating the neutralization of deprotonated Si‐O^– sites. Monovalent cations suppressed Si release more strongly than bivalent ones. Neutralization of deprotonated Si‐O^– sites by cations might accelerate polymerization, leading to smaller Si release in comparison with absences of electrolytes. Addition of Al³⁺ resulted in charge reversal, indicating a very strong adsorption of Al³⁺, and it is likely that Si‐O‐Al‐O‐Si bonds are formed which decrease Si release. The negative effect of anions on Si release in comparison with deionized H₂O might be due to an increase in ionic strength. The effect was more pronounced for organic anions than for inorganic ones. Burning of rice straw at low temperatures (e.g., 400°C) appears suitable to provide silicon for rice in short term for the next growing season. High inputs of electrolytes with irrigation water and low pH with concomitant increase of Al³⁺ in soil solution should be avoided in order to keep dissolution rate of phytoliths at an appropriate level.     

Caesium-137 fallout depth distribution in different soil profiles and significance for estimating soil erosion rate

Caesium-137 (¹³⁷Cs) has been widely used for the determination of soil erosion and sediment transport rate. However, depth distribution patterns of ¹³⁷Cs in the soil profile have not been considered. As a result, the erosion rates may be over-estimated or underestimated. This paper presents the depth distribution of ¹³⁷Cs fallout in different soil profiles using published data. Three types of depth distribution functions of ¹³⁷Cs are given by using statistical regression methods, the exponential type, the peak type and the decreasing type (including uniform distribution). Relationships between ¹³⁷Cs loss and soil erosion rate are given by introducing the regression functions. The influence of depth distribution of ¹³⁷Cs on the estimation of the soil erosion rate was simulated. Simulation results showed that very different soil erosion rates could be deduced for different depth distributions when ¹³⁷Cs loss is the same, which indicates that the depth distribution pattern should be considered when soil erosion is estimated by using ¹³⁷Cs. Simulation results also suggested that it is most important to determine the depth distribution of ¹³⁷Cs near the soil surface and the annual relative loss of ¹³⁷Cs by using the depth distribution of ¹³⁷Cs as a criterion to estimate the soil erosion rate.     

Validating the use of Cs measurements to estimate rates of soil redistribution by wind

Wind erosion has degraded over one-half billion hectares of land worldwide. ¹³⁷Cesium (¹³⁷Cs) has been used as a tracer to study long-term rates of soil redistribution by water and, to a lesser extent, by wind. Early studies assumed that the decline in ¹³⁷Cs activity for a potentially eroded soil relative to that for an uneroded soil was linearly proportional to soil loss. More recently, models have emerged that consider the effects of soil cultivation and the particle surface area-dependent partitioning of ¹³⁷Cs on soils. We investigated the partitioning of ¹³⁷Cs in wind-eroded sediments and with soil surface samples sieved into contiguous ranges of particle sizes. We also compared the ¹³⁷Cs activities and stratification of several adjacent soils with known wind erosion and deposition histories. Finally, we tested ¹³⁷Cs-based soil loss models with measured data from sites with documented histories. ¹³⁷Cs activities and mean particle diameters of aeolian samples agreed well with the ¹³⁷Cs activities and respective mean diameters of the sieved surface soil samples. Good agreement between model estimations and measured data indicated that ¹³⁷Cs models developed to estimate soil redistribution by water were also applicable to soil redistribution by wind provided that the models contained an appropriate particle size correction parameter.     

Relating Intensity of Soil Redistribution to Land Use Changes in Abandoned Pyrenean Fields Using Fallout Caesium‐137

Fallout caesium‐137 has been used to trace soil redistribution in abandoned fields located in the Central Spanish Pyrenees. A total of 28 fields with different lengths, slope angles and time since abandonment were selected on a representative south‐facing slope of the Estarrún valley. The local reference inventory and the magnitude and spatial distribution of ¹³⁷Cs inventories within these fields were documented and used as a basis for assessing patterns of soil redistribution. The local reference inventory was estimated to be 4,500 Bqm⁻². Within the fields, the average ¹³⁷Cs inventory at the top of the slope was 3,920 Bqm⁻², and accumulation of soil at the bottom of the slopes was demonstrated by an average ¹³⁷Cs inventory of 5,320 Bqm⁻². Deviations from the reference inventory were highest for fields with the longest slopes that had been abandoned for less than 30 years. Here, increases in the ¹³⁷Cs inventory, relative to the reference inventory, in excess of 20% were found at the bottom of the slopes. Considering all the fields and all geomorphic positions within the fields, the greatest ¹³⁷Cs losses and gains were found in the fields with the longest duration of abandonment, indicating more intense soil redistribution. Irrespective of the timing of abandonment, the ranges of ¹³⁷Cs inventories in the fields were found to be proportional to the water erosion index. The ¹³⁷Cs technique demonstrated that patterns of sediment redistribution were closely related to the topographic and physiographic characteristics of the slopes. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of organic residue amendment on mineralization of nitrogen in flooded rice soils under laboratory conditions

Abstract

This study was undertaken to assess the mineralization of nitrogen (N) in rice soils amended with organic residues under flooded condition. A lab incubation study with a 3x3 factorial design (two replications) was conducted with three rice soils (Joydebpur, Faridpur, and Thakurgaon) receiving the following treatments: 1) control, 2) rice straw (Oryza sativa L.), or 3) pea vine (Pisum sativum L.). The organic residue (25 mg straw g^‐1 soil) was mixed with soil and glass beads (1:1, soil to beads ratio), and transferred into a Pyrex leaching tube, flooded and then incubated at 35°C for up to 12 weeks. The soils in the leaching tubes were leached (while maintaining flooded condition) at 1,2,4, 8, and 12 weeks with deionized water for determination of NH₄‐N, NO₃‐N, pH, and Eh. Nitrogen mineralization in soils amended with rice straw was somewhat different than that of soils treated with pea vine. Soil treated with rice straw had a higher N mineralization rate than soils treated with pea vine, which was due to a lower carbon (C):N ratio for rice straw. The potentially mineralizable N pool (N_o) in soils amended with rice straw and pea vine under flooded conditions, estimated using a 1st order exponential equation, were 7 to 15 times, and 3 to 9 times greater for rice straw N_o values and pea vine, respectively, than the control. The K_N values for unamended soils ranged from 0.35 to 0.52 mg N kg^‐1 wk^‐1 and rice straw and pea vine treated soils were from 0.75 to 1.22 and 0.46 to 0.58 mgN kg^‐1 wk^‐1. The lower N_o and K_N values in pea vine treatments suggested there was greater immobilization of N than in rice straw treatments.     

Einfluß des Jahresniederschlags und der Bodenart auf die 137Cs-Tiefenverteilung in Böden Südchiles

The influence of mean annual rainfall and soil texture on the ¹³⁷Cs vertical distribution in soils from southern Chile The influence of mean annual rainfall and soil texture on the vertical distribution of ¹³⁷Cs from global fallout was studied in undisturbed volcanic ash soils from southern Chile. The areal concentration and translocation depth increase with the mean annual precipitation. In spite of the high rainfall at the sampled area (970 - 2500 mm a^?1), the highest ¹³⁷Cs contamination was found in the upper 10 cm layer. The vertical migration is reduced by the high adsorption capacity of these volcanic ash soils, but on the other side increased in soils with high large-pore volumen. The translocation depth reaches only up to 26 cm in the clay soils, 35 cm in the silty soils and 70 cm in the sandy soil.     

Method of studying the degradation of soil macroaggregates based on the self-absorption of 137Cs β radiation

A method was proposed for studying the degradation of soil aggregates in time from the absorption of ¹³⁷Cs β-radiation by a soil sample. The method is based on the difference in the recorded β radiation intensities depending on the distribution of ¹³⁷Cs between the surface of the aggregates and the nonaggregated soil material. At the localization of the radionuclide on the surface of the soil aggregates, the counting rate will significantly exceed that for the samples containing a similar amount of the radionuclide uniformly distributed throughout the soil volume. This effect is due to the insignificant range of the mild β radiation in the soil (less than 1 mm depending on the radiation energy). Relatively clear calibration graphs under the selected conditions of the radiometric measurements were obtained for the aggregates whose sizes were in the range of 3–10 mm. Under natural conditions, the 7- to 10-mm aggregates of a dark gray clay loamy soil under a forest belt decomposed by 50–65% at a depth of 10 cm and by 23–32% at a depth of 30 cm. The more intense degradation of the soil aggregates of the same size was observed under the conditions of a pot experiment.     

基于137Cs的土壤沉积速率的定量模型

在假设137Cs在耕层中得到充分混合而变得均一的基础上,根据质量平衡原理建立了一个根据农业耕作土壤剖面中137Cs的沉积量和土壤沉积量之间关系的定量模型.在建立模型的过程中,充分考虑了137Cs的衰变常数,年沉降分量,耕层厚度和采样年份等因素.模型的模拟结果表明,137Cs的沉积量与年平均土壤沉积量之间的关系是一种复杂的曲线关系.     

Enhanced sorption and fixation of radiocaesium in soils amended with K-bentonites, submitted to wetting–drying cycles

The use of bentonites as soil amendment has met with little success in reducing plant uptake of radiocaesium. However, bentonites exchanged with K⁺ have pronounced Cs⁺ binding capacity when subjected to wetting–drying cycles. Fifty‐four different bentonites were collected and characterized for cation exchange capacity and chemical composition. The radiocaesium interception potential (RIP) increased up to 160‐fold (mean 25) when the bentonites were converted to the K‐form and subjected to wetting–drying cycles. This increase in radiocaesium sorption was ascribed to a collapse of the clay sheets into an illite‐like structure, and was most pronounced in bentonites with a high layer charge. The RIP values of K‐bentonites subjected to 25 wetting–drying cycles ranged from 0.22 to 44.3 mol kg^?1. The RIP yields, i.e. the RIP in soil–bentonite mixtures expressed per unit bentonite added, were even higher and ranged up to 99 mol kg^?1. This upper limit is about 10‐fold higher than the RIP value of illite (～ 10 mol kg^?1), the principal ¹³⁷Cs sorbent in soils of temperate climates. Wetting–drying also promoted fixation of radiocaesium in soils amended with K‐bentonites. About 30% of added ¹³⁷Cs could be desorbed with 1 m ammonium acetate (NH₄Ac) from an unamended soil after 25 wetting–drying cycles, while only between 8 and 21% of ¹³⁷Cs could be desorbed from a soil amended with bentonite and a K‐salt. These findings support the proposition that addition of K‐bentonite may be effective in reducing availability of ¹³⁷Cs in soils.     

137Cs tracing of the spatial patterns in soil redistribution,organic carbon and total nitrogen in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau

The southeastern Tibetan Plateau, which profoundly affects East Asia by helping to maintain the stability of climate systems, biological diversity and clean water, is one of the regions most vulnerable to water erosion, wind erosion, tillage erosion, freeze–thaw erosion and overgrazing under global climate changes and intensive human activities. Spatial variations in soil erosion in terraced farmland (TL), sloping farmland (SL) and grassland (GL) were determined by the ¹³⁷Cs tracing method and compared with spatial variations in soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (total N). The ¹³⁷Cs concentration in the GL was higher in the 0–0.03 m soil layer than in the other soil layers due to weak migration and diffusion under low precipitation and temperature conditions, while the ¹³⁷Cs concentration in the soil layer of the SL was generally uniform in the 0–0.18 m soil layer due to tillage-induced mixing. Low ¹³⁷Cs inventories appeared at the summit and toe slope positions in the SL due to soil loss by tillage erosion and water erosion, respectively, while the highest ¹³⁷Cs inventories appeared at the middle slope positions due to soil accumulation under relatively flat landform conditions. In the GL, the ¹³⁷Cs data showed that higher soil erosion rates appeared at the summit due to freeze–thaw erosion and steep slope gradients and at the toe slope position due to wind erosion, gully erosion, freeze–thaw erosion and overgrazing. The ¹³⁷Cs inventory generally increased from upper to lower slope positions within each terrace (except the lowest terrace). The ¹³⁷Cs data along the terrace toposequence showed abrupt changes in soil erosion rates between the lower part of the upper terrace and the upper part of the immediate terrace over a short distance and net deposition on the lower and toe terraces. Hence, tillage erosion played an important role in the soil loss at the summit slope positions of each terrace, while water erosion dominantly transported soil from the upper terrace to the lower terrace and resulted in net soil deposition on the flat lower terrace. The SOC inventories showed similar spatial patterns to the ¹³⁷Cs inventories in the SL, TL and GL, and significant correlations were found between the SOC and ¹³⁷Cs inventories in these slope landscapes. The total N inventories showed similar spatial patterns to the inventories of ¹³⁷Cs and SOC, and significant correlations were also found between the total N and ¹³⁷Cs inventories in the SL, TL and GL. Therefore, ¹³⁷Cs can successfully be used for tracing soil, SOC and total N dynamics within slope landscapes in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau.