Radiation Sources for Semi-Acute Irradiation of Growing Plants

Abstract

More than 40 years ago Muller (3) and Stadler (5) have demonstrated that X-rays can induce genetic changes and produce mutations in Drosophila and in corn respectively. Since then there was considerable interest in the production of mutations by irradiation. Gustafsson (1,2) and his co-workers in Sweden started work along these lines as early as 1928 using X-rays have succeeded in producing higher yielding crop plants and other valuable characteristics in economic plants through X-ray induced mutations.