Microbial component of radiocaesium retention in highly organic soils.

The mobility of radiocaesium in the environment and its availability for plant uptake are strongly dependent on the processes controlling its retention in soils. The role of the soil microbial biomass in radiocaesium retention may be important in highly organic soils, yet this role has received little attention. Currently, the techniques used to assess radiocaesium retention tend to ignore the microbial component and, as a result, may compromise assessment of retention. We present here evidence that the microbial component cannot be ignored in such assays and propose changes that recognise the importance of maintaining biological activity in samples of organic soils.