Acta Horticulturae, cilt.1282, ss.407-412, 2020 (SCI-Expanded)
© 2020 International Society for Horticultural Science. All rights reserved.The use of gamma rays in plant breeding is not a new technique, but there has been an increasing interest in this method in recent years. High doses of gamma rays increase the mutation frequency, but the number of survival plant is reduced. Studies show that gamma rays applied at low doses improve the morphological and biochemical properties of some plants. Gamma ray treatments in early stages of seed germination promote the synthesis of RNA and protein so enhances seedling growth and also increases the antioxidative ability of cells helps cell fight back daily stresses. Studies in many plants such as apricot, okra, rocket, tomato, banana, pepper, gerbera show that the use of low doses gamma rays has positive effects on some properties of these horticultural crops. It has been determined that low dose gamma ray treatment stimulates seed germination, vigor and seedling growth in okra and rocket. Besides it was detected that this treatment increased chlorophyll content of red pepper and the activities of peroxidase were enhanced by gamma irradiation in radish and also increased the nutritional quality of broad bean. In this review, the effects of low dose gamma ray applications on plant growth and biochemical contents of horticultural crops have been examined.