Abstract
Seeds of Triticum boeoticum, a diploid wheat species, and of its autotetraploid were soaked for 14hrs at 20°C and were irradiated acutely with appropriate doses of 14.1 MeV fast neutrons or of 137Cs gamma rays. The effects of both the radiations were compared based on the data of seedling height measured 31 days after irradiation and of wet and dry weights of 49-day-old seedlings. The RBE values of 14.1MeV fast neutrons as compared with 137Cs gamma rays were determined to be 3.12, 3.48 and 3.52 for the reduction of seedling height, wet weight and dry weight, respectively, in the diploid, and 2.66, 2.80 and 2.74, respectively, in the autotetraploid. These values are evidently lower than those obtained earlier from dry seeds, and it is obvious that water content modifies RBE value.
