The effect of gamma radiation on the growth and development of clover plant

Intensive nuclear tests, the use of atomic energy and the application of ionizing radiation in agriculture lead to an increase in the natural radiation background of the planet. These processes have shifted the focus of radiobiological research towards the study of the effects of low-dose radiation. The object of our research was clover (Trifolium Platense L.) seeds. Clover seeds were irradiated with doses of 10 and 50 Gray. Both the non-irradiated control variant and the irradiated variants were germinated in soil in an open field. After one month, the amount of photosynthesis pigments in the clover plants was measured.Irradiation with 10 Gray caused a change in the amount of pigments. Thus, compared to the non-irradiated control variant, an increase in the amount of pigments was observed in the samples irradiated with 10 Gray. In the samples irradiated with a dose of 50 Gray, the amount of pigments was almost the same as the non-irradiated control. It is assumed that the obtained effects are the result of the initial effect of radiation on the genetic apparatus.