Effect of ⁶⁰Co gamma irradiation on seedling development of Dendrobium

A study was undertaken by using ⁶⁰Co gamma rays upto 60 Gy for irradiating the protocorms of a Dendrobium hybrid Sonia 28 × Emma White. At higher doses, the growth was found to be slow, taking more time to reach each stage of development in culture. The seedlings from irradiated protocorms were dwarfer than normal ones but the leaves became broader and thicker by irradiation and a slight increase in the number of shoots and leaves was also noticed in them. The time taken for planting out ranged from 293 to 342 days in the irradiated seedlings whereas the normal seedlings were planted in 275 days.