A dose of 4,000 to 10,000 rads is needed to inhibit sprouting of potatoes or onions. The attached chart shows the doses needed to affect plant growth. Soil Soil would not be of immediate concern but proper management procedures could do a great deal to reduce a problem should it occur. The addition of lime to calcium-poor soils can reduce the uptake into plants of such radionuclides as strontium 90 and strontium 89. The greatest amount of contamination reaches vegetables by direct contamination.
Rainfall carries radionuclides into cavities of the fresh leafy vegetables and collects there.
For commercially produced vegetables that have a waiting period between harvest and market, this would not be a problem as far as some contaminants are concerned. With vegetables grown at home, skins or outer leaves should be removed and the remainder washed thoroughly. Canning, freezing, or other storage of vegetables would allow decay of short-lived radionuclides. Grain For grains, PAG action would probably never be needed, but if so it should include milling and polishing. Time from harvest to consumer would be an important factor here, for this may be several months in many cases.