Effect of lonizing radiation on plant (Brassica Oleracea Alboglabra)

Abstract

The study of Gamma Radiation usage in gaining high quality crops is an advantage in agricultural sector. Applying gamma radiation with specific doses on the seeds is believed to help the growth of the seeds faster as Gamma rays can modify the physiological character of the seeds and plants. In fact, safety concern while exposing gamma radiation in low doses into crops will not affect the quality of the crops as only small amount of safe doses is consumed. Consequently, the cultivators can gain crops earlier than the common conventional method. This research uses the Brassic Oleracea from Alboglabra group (Kailan) as the sample. The dose selection criteria are based on scientific literature and safety guideline on 25 Gy, 50 Gy, 75 Gy, 100 Gy, 200 Gy, 300 Gy, and 400 Gy gamma radiation dose. Hydroponic technique is used in this experiment. The external factors like pest infestation and weather factor that might alter the experimental results are eliminated. Observation of the growth of plants is conducted once in two days. At the end of the experiment, all of the responding variables are structured in a table. The seed exposed with relatively lower doses germinates better based on the 3 weeks' observation. It is suggested that 25 Gy is the optimum dose with positive physical characteristics for the plant. The results from this research indicates further investigation on the effect of gamma radiation on plant which can be beneficial for increasing agricultural production in the verge of radiation induced biotechnology.