Influence of combined alpha, beta and gamma radionuclide contamination on the frequency of waxy-reversions in barley pollen.

The mutagenic effectiveness of chronic, combined alpha-, beta-, and gamma-irradiation caused by radionuclide contamination of the biogeocenosis was studied in comparison with chronic gamma-irradiation from an external 60Co source. The waxy-test on barley pollen proved to be sufficiently sensitive to evaluate the increase in waxy-reversion frequencies in plants exposed to a 3 mSv dose. A dose of 50-200 mSv from external irradiation was needed to double the mutation rate in barley pollen. Moreover, the smaller doses (dose rates) were more harmful than the higher doses if measured as the increase in mutation frequency per unit of irradiation. Higher genotoxicity was observed from combined irradiation due to radionuclide contamination than from similar doses from an external gamma source. We concluded that mutagenic effects in plant cells, in the case of radionuclide contamination of the biogeocenosis, could not be extrapolated only on the basis of measured dose, but separate investigations should be carried out to establish the genotoxicity of specific radionuclide mixtures and possible toxic chemical synergisms.