Elena Sevostianova

Plant Uptake of Depleted Uranium from Manure-Amended and Citrate Treated Soil

Six plant species were tested for their ability to accumulate depleted uranium in their aboveground biomass from deployed munitions contaminated soil in New Mexico. In greenhouse experiments, Kochia (Kochia scoparia L. Schrad.) and pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus L.) were grown with steer manure added at rates of 22.4, 44.8, and 89.6 Mg ha−1. Citric acid and glyphosate (N-(phosphonomethyl) glycine) applied at the end of the growing season increased DU concentrations from 2.5 to 17 times. Leaf and stem DU concentrations in kochia increased from 17.0 to 41.9 mg kg−1 and from 3.5 to 18.0 mg kg−1, respectively. In pigweed, leaf and stem DU concentrations increased from 1.0 to 17.3 and from 1.0 to 4.7 mg kg−1, respectively. Manure generally decreased or had no effect on DU uptake. The effect of citric acid and ammonium citrate on DU uptake by kochia, sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), and sweet corn (Zea mays L.) was also studied. Ammonium citrate was just as effective in enhancing DU uptake as citric acid. This implies that the citrate ion is more important in DU uptake and translocation than the solubilization of DU through acidification. In both experiments, leaves had higher DU concentrations than stems.