SUMMARIZATION M. G. White and P. B. Dunaway The annual information conference of the Nevada Applied Ecology Group (NAEG) held in Las Vegas, Nevada, in February, 1976, provided the environ- As an ERDA environmental mental research documents in this report. has varied disciplines NAEG the group, studies integrated research represented in its meetings. One of the advantages of holding an annual meeting of this type is the interface of scientists and technicians interested in the different aspects of environmental investigations where a more thorough examination of desert environmental problems is Some answers, status of ongoing studies, and some new problems permitted. were addressed during the session. The research efforts of the NAEG vegetation investigators resulted in five reports covering plant uptake of plutonium and americium through roots, estimation of vegetation plutonium, americium, and uranium radionuclide inventory, stabilization of soils in cleanup efforts by revegetation, a special report on possible cytological effects on shrubs from low-level radiation at the Nevada Test Site, and report of vegetation sample results from Area 11 (Plutonium Valley). An investigation to observe the effects of soil amendments (nitrogen fertilizer and organic matter, with and without DTPA) on plant uptake of plutonium and americium was conducted by Romney et al. using soil from various NAEG NTS intensive study safety-shot sites. Alfalfa, barley, and soybean plants were grown in pot culture experiments, in order to prevent foliage contamination from resuspended soil particulate material as occurs under field conditions. No alteration of the root uptake of 239°240py was evident with additions of soil amendments such as nitrogen, fertilizer, and organic matter. However, when sulfur was added with DTPA, root uptake significantly increased. The DTPA amendment apparently was the agent for this increase, as uptake in soybeans also was significantly increased with the addition of the chelate amendment only. The greater uptake of 24am through plant roots in proportion to 239°240py was demonstrated by the amendment experiments, lending support to the belief that potential problems from americium in the environment should be addressed by research investigators as well as those problems from environmental plutonium. Romney and co-investigators found that comparisons of soil and vegetation inventory estimates at NAEG study sites on NTS indicated that plutonium in the standing vegetation constitutes an insignificant portion (less than one-thousandth) of the total 239°240py inventory in the study areas. Resuspendable materials on vegetation are the probable source of most of the 239°240py present in vegetation samples from the safety-shot areas of NTS. The vegetation in desert environments is important in 317