Efecto de radiaciones gamma en Abies religiosa (Kunth) Schltd. et Cham.

the use of ionizing irradiation has been useful for the genetic improvement of forest species. however, its use should be preceded by assays that determine the effect that irradiations have on the plant material. with this objective, an experiment was carried out on abies religiosa (kunth) schltd. et cham .from the cofre de perote, veracruz, mexico. we tested the effect of five gamma ray doses (2, 5, 10 and 20 gy) and an unirradiated control on seed germination, seedling height and number of first leaves. seedling germination and number of first leaves were severely affected by irradiation doses. cluster analysis revealed that doses of 5 and 10 gy, classified in group i, were beneficial for plant height. we suggest that future studies evaluate a wider dose range with doses below 2 gy and up to 5 gy.