The 20 years history of the Institute of Radiation Breeding

The IRB was established in 1960, and the 20th anniversary of the institute was held in the last spring. The total irradiation hours in the gamma-field reached 100,000 in the autumn of 1980. After the second world war, the gamma rooms for breeding were installed one after another, but it was not easy to deal with a large quantity of plant materials or bit materials. To satisfy this requirement, and to give chronic irradiation to growing plant materials under natural conditions, a gamma field is an indispensable facility. Thus the gamma field was planned to be built in three years from 1959 under the supervision of the AFF Research Council Secretariat. Among many candidates, Ohmiya-machi was selected as the most suitable place. The Institute's main works are 1) fundamental research on radiation breeding, 2) induction and distribution of useful mutants, and 3) irradiation service. The Institute started with 9 members, but now its total members are 25, including 11 researchers. The outline of the research carried out during the past two decades in the Institute is summarized. (Kaihara, S.)