Re: Seeds DO Sprout!

[Les Fraley <les@lamar.ColoState.EDU>]

On Tue, 4 Apr 2000, Bob Flood wrote:

> >Yes, irradiated seeds do sprout, but not after levels necessary to kill
> >bacteria.
> 
> 
> Seeds have been irradiated in the 10-30 krad range for years as a way of
> improving the germination rate. I helped my younger son do a science fair
> project years ago in which half the seeds were irradiated to 10 krad and
> half were unirradiated. After planting in the same tray so they experienced
> the same environmental conditions, literally all of the irradiated seeds
> sprouted (we counted!) while only about 50% of the unirradiated ones
> sprouted. And right at the exact time of the fair - what great planning, eh?
> 
> Seed irradiation has been used worldwide to increase the germination rate
> and thereby increase yield per acre. Very helpful in countries with a
> marginal food supply.
> 
10 to 30 krad is not high enough levels to kill many seeds.  Try 100 krad
and usually none will sprout, but it depends on many factors including the
species, the moisture content of the seeds when irradiated as well as the
elapsed time between irradiation and hydration (planting).

For food sterilization, I'm assuming 100 krad to 1 Mrad is necessary to
effectively kill most bacteria, but I don't really know.
Les Fraley
les@lamar.colostate.edu


> 
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