Migration of 14C in the paddy soil-to-rice plant system after 14C-acetic acid breakdown by microorganisms below the plow layer

Migration of 14C derived from 14C-acetic acid was examined by using soils sampled from paddies in four administrative areas in Japan (Aomori, Yamanashi, Ehime and Okinawa) and rice plant in a tracer experiment to understand the fate of 14C in the paddy soil-to-rice plant system. The loss of 14C radioactivity levels derived from 14C-acetic acid was caused by soil microorganism breakdown. A part of the 14C fixation to soil was caused by microbial assimilation into the fatty acid fraction. 14C moved upward via two different types of 14C dynamics in soil: quick movement upward; and constant but slow movement upward. 14C was highly assimilated into the plant panicle and that was caused by the root-uptake and the transfer of 14C. Migration of 14C derived from 14C-acetic acid relied heavily upon changes of chemical forms and characteristics of 14C-compound as caused by microorganisms in soil.