Radiation biology. Radioecology
ISSN: 0869-8031

Archives → 2019 → Vol. 59, No. 5 → pp. 538-545

Article

Peculiar Properties of the Effect of γ-Radiation on Seeds of Allium odorum L

Filippov E.V., Filippova G.V.

Institute of Biological Problems of Cryolithozone SB RAS, Yakutsk, Russia

Abstract

In the experiments on seeds of wild-growing species Allium odorum (L.), the peculiarities of the effects of acute γ-radiation on seed germination, the processes of seedling growth, the level of lipid peroxidation (LPO) and the content of low-molecular antioxidants in leaf and root tissues, the level of DNA damage to seedlings were evaluated using the method DNA comets. It is shown that exposure of seeds to radiation in the range of 1–500 Gy has a significant stimulating effect on the initial processes of seed germination. The maximum radiation dose used in the experiment caused an increase in the germination energy unusual for this species. By the end of germination, the stimulating effect was observed only in variant 1 Gy, which was expressed in an increase by 1.5 times in the number of shoots as compared to the control. Irradiation of seeds at this dose did not cause damage to nuclear DNA in the tissues of leaves and roots of the seedlings and had a positive effect on their growth, which was 1.3 times higher than in the control. With an increase in the dose from 10 to 500 Gy, a dose-dependent increase in the degree of nuclear DNA damage was observed, both in the leaves and roots of seedlings. A slight inhibitory effect on the root growth was observed in the seedlings grown from the seeds irradiated with 10 Gy, and significantly increased at higher doses, which was also reflected on the low content of low molecular weight antioxidants in root cells (100 Gy.). The lag in leaf growth was noted in the 500 Gy variant and was accompanied by a low level of LPO in the cells relative to the control.

Keywords

Allium odorum, seeds, γ-radiation, germination, growth processes, adaptive response, DNA comet assay, DNA damage, radiosensitivity