Radionuclide-aided Technique in a Field Study on Plant Root Bioactivity

An instrumentation and a tracer technique for investigating root bioactivity in plants injected with Se-75 has been employed in a study carried out under field conditions. The investigation was based on a previously developed instrumentation and on findings that Se-75 is preferably transferred within the root system to the active tissues of the injected plants. The root bioactivity was investigated in corn and sunflower as subjected to different fertilization and irrigation treatments. The pattern of root bioactivity varied with crop, time and treatment applied. The technique showed to be reliable and easy-to-use and the detection equipment scanned the radioactivity along the soil profile with good accuracy. The described method has proved to be a useful tool to study the root response to variations in nutrient and moisture status along the soil profile under field conditions.