Biological effectiveness of fast neutrons and gamma rays in some bulbous ornamentals

The differential radiosensitivity to gamma rays and fast neutrons of small and large bulbs of two cultivars of tuberose; red and white flower types of dutch amaryllis and Gladiolus cv. Scarlet double was studied. In tuberose, the bulb size did not affect their radiosensitivity. In dutch amaryllis, the red cultivar was more resistant than the white type, to both the radiations for all the plant parameters studied. Among the three bulbous genera, Gladiolus was found to be more resistant to both types of radiations. The RBE values of fast neutrons for the various vM₁ criteria were found to be low in bulbous plants.