Cytological Aberrations Observed in Barley Embryos Cultured in Irradiated Potato Mash

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Abstract
Several cytological abnormalities were found during mitosis in the root tips of 2X and 4X barley when embryos excised from unirradiated mature seeds were grown on potato mash irradiated with 20 kr, 40 kr, and 80 kr of X-rays. Critical scoring could be done only for cells containing micronuclei, and the frequency of such cells increased with the X-ray dosage. Cells with micronuclei also occurred in embryos grown on unirradiated potato mash, but their frequency was significantly increased when irradiated potato mash was used. The increase in the frequency of aberrant cells was lower in 4X barley and also when the embryos were grown in a pure O2 atmosphere immediately after their transfer to the irradiated potato medium. The high moisture content of the potato tubers used for irradiation (70%) precludes the possibility that the radiomimetic principle involved could be either organic free radicals or stored energy. The results, however, stress the need for further research on the effects of irradiated food on biological systems.

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