RELATIVE BIOLOGICAL EFFECTIVENESS OF 14MeV NEUTRONS TO γ-RAYS FOR INDUCING MUTATIONS IN SILKWORM GONIA

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Abstract
Comparative studies of mutational responses to 14 MeV neutrons and gamma-rays were carried out with silkworm at the time of hatching and a week after hatching. The mutation frequencies in late gonia were higher for 14 meV neutrons than gamma-rays, while in early gonia they were almost equal for both. The relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of neutrons to gamma-rays was found to depend sensitively on the germ cell stage; it was about 1 for early gonia and 2 to 3 for late ones, at the level of 10-3 mutation frequency. It was assumed that the difference in RBE is due to the variation in frequencies of acute gamma-ray-induced mutations.