Abstract
CONSIDERABLE data are now available on the radiosensitivity of cultivated plants1,2, but very little is known about the tolerance of wild species. We have investigated the doses of γ-radiation needed to prevent weed seeds from growing. The seeds were stored at 32 per cent relative humidity and irradiated in air with a range of doses from 0 to 100,000 rads of γ-radiation from cobalt-60. They were then planted in steam-sterilized soil and the number of plants arriving at maturity were counted. LD50 values for some common species of arable weeds are listed in Table 1.
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BOWEN, H., SMITH, S. Effect of Gamma-Radiation on Weeds. Nature 183, 907 (1959). https://doi.org/10.1038/183907a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/183907a0
