Transfer to fruits

The paper describes the key transfer processes, concepts and conceptual models regarded as important for dose assessment, as well as relevant parameters for modelling radionuclide transfer in fruits. Information relate to fruit plants grown in agricultural ecosystems of temperate regions. The relative significance of each pathway after release of radionuclides depends upon the radionuclide, the kind of crop, the stage of plant development and the season at time of deposition. Fruit intended as a component of the human diet is borne by plants that are heterogeneous in habits, and morphological and physiological traits. Information on radionuclides in fruit systems has therefore been rationalised by characterising plants in three groups: woody trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants. Parameter values have been collected from open literature, conference proceedings, institutional reports, books and international databases. Given the scarce information available on the subject, the choice has been made to not reject any information. Data on root uptake are reported as transfer factor values related to fresh weight, being consumption data for fruits usually given in fresh weight. Recommendations are given for research and modelling.