Russian Scientists Propose Using Electron Beams to Boost Crop Yields
Researchers have already conducted two years of field trials that demonstrated the effectiveness of the approach.
Scientists from Lomonosov Moscow State University and the Siberian Federal Scientific Center of Agrobiotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences have developed a new method for increasing crop yields from treated seeds. They propose treating wheat seeds before sowing with a low-energy electron beam and X-rays.
The research included two years of field trials as well as computer modeling. Radiation doses ranging from 5 to 15 gray proved the most promising for pre-sowing treatment.
“In the first year of field trials, both radiation sources increased yields by 22% to 48%. In the second year, X-rays produced the most consistent positive effect, increasing yields by 9% to 33%,” said Viktoria Ipatova, a junior researcher in the Department of Nuclear Physics Methods in Medicine and Industry at Moscow State University’s Skobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics.
The researchers said that properly calibrated radiation can not only increase crop yields but also make plants more resistant to certain diseases.
