In vitro acute gamma radiation on tissue of pink and white lotus ( Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.)in Thailand

This research aimed to investigate the age of embryos of pink and white lotus for in vitro propagation and examine the sensitivity of young lotus plants derived from tissue culture to acute gamma radiation. The seeds of both lotus varieties were 4-week, 6-week and 8-week-old embryos cultivated on solid MS medium. They were then transferred to solid MS medium supplemented with 3 mg/L BA. After culturing, the 6-week-old pink lotus embryos had an average maximum petiole length of 16.78 +/- 1.01 cm and an average of 11.84 +/- 0.44 roots/explant, while the 6-week-old white lotus embryos had an average maximum petiole length of 15.48 +/- 0.68 cm and an average of 11.76 +/- 0.70 roots/explant. Each young lotus plant produced one shoot. After treating the young lotus plants with liquid MS medium supplemented with 3 mg/L BA, both lotus varieties showed increased shoot numbers at 3.54 +/- 0.13 and 3.40 +/- 0.91 shoots/explant. Young lotus plants of both varieties were exposed to gamma radiation levels of 0, 20, 30 and 40 Gy. The LD 50 value for pink lotus was 26.138 Gy, while the LD 50 value for the white lotus was 32.031 Gy. The LD 50 value will offer vital information for determining the optimal dosage of gamma radiation for both pink and white lotus in vitro .