The inactivation of plant viruses by radiations

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Abstract
Experiments are described on the inactivation by gamma-rays, X-rays, and alpha-rays of the viruses of tomato bushy stunt, tobacco necrosis, tobacco ringspot, tobacco mosaic and potato virusX. Within the errors of the experiment the inactivation curves appear to be exponential, and the inactivation doses increase in the order gamma-rays, X-rays, of wave-length 1·5 A., X-rays of wave-length 8·3 A., and alpha-rays.A theory is given explaining these results and correlating the inactivation dose with the virus size. Estimates of the sizes of the viruses obtained from the radiation experiments he within the range of the sizes given by other methods, but are somewhat lower than the most probable sizes. Possible explanations of the discrepancy which are discussed are (a) the virus particle is not the molecule, in the sense of the smallest infective unit, or (b) certain structural changes in the virus molecule produced by the radiation may still leave it infective. Some of these may perhaps show themselves as mutations.