Genetic effects of low-dose chronic irradiation of developing seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh.

A six-year study, starting in 1987, was focused on the frequency of embryonic lethals and chlorophyll mutations that arose in developing seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana growing at sites varying in the level of radioactive contamination in the 30-km control region of the Chernobyl Atomic Power Plant. The dose rate of chronic irradiation varied from 200 mu R/h to 2.4 R/h. To study the genetic effects of various levels of radioactive contamination, the frequency of mutations arising in a particular generation was determined and the irradiation dose was estimated for the given generation. The dose dependence of the mutation frequency proved to follow a power function with a power less than unity, suggesting a relatively high effect for low-dose irradiation. Possible explanations of this phenomenon are discussed.