Influence of gamma irradiation treatments on the germination, moisture, viability and radicle length of Quercus frainetto acorns.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to ascertain the impact of varying dosages of gamma irradiation on the germination and development of Quercus frainetto acorns.

Materials and methods: The acorns were subjected to gamma radiation from a cobalt-60 source at doses of 25, 50, 100, and 200 gray. The germination percentage, mean germination time, and radicle length of the acorns were quantified. Images were used to evaluate the radicle length. Correlation was employed to investigate the relationships between gamma radiation treatments and moisture content, tetrazolium staining, germination percentage, mean germination time, and radicle length.

Results: The impact of gamma-ray radiation on acorns was found to significantly affect moisture content, viability, germination percentage, mean germination time, and radicle length. The germination percentage indicated a decline, particularly at 100 Gy. The acorn lots subjected to 25 grays had the highest germination percentage (92%). The germination percentage in the acorn lots treated with 200 grays decreased by approximately half (44%) in comparison to the control (86%), while the radicle length decreased from 14.8 cm to approximately one-tenth (1.4 cm).

Conclusions: The findings demonstrated that the germination percentage and radicle length declined with elevated gamma radiation intensity. While low doses of gamma (25 grays) radiation may facilitate germination, higher doses can exert detrimental effects, including the suppression or complete inhibition of germination. The application of gamma treatment has been demonstrated to be an effective method of inhibiting radicle length elongation, a process that is crucial for the storage and postharvest seeding of acorns.