Impact of low energy proton radiation on lentil seeds (Lens culinaris) for sustainable space breeding
Loading...
Date
2025-10-26
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
ELSEVIER
Abstract
The effects of low energy proton irradiation on lentil (Lens culinaris) seeds were investigated to evaluate their
potential for space-based breeding. Seeds of a local cultivar were exposed to 2.28 MeV protons for 5 min at
beam currents ranging from 50 to 225 nA, corresponding to absorbed doses of 8.45–38.02 kGy, alongside a nonirradiated
control group. Germination was assessed on day 5, and survival rate, seedling height, first true leaf
length, and biomass were measured after 27 days of greenhouse growth. Linear energy transfer (LET) analysis
using SRIM indicated that maximum energy deposition occurred within the outer cotyledon layers. Beam
currents up to 75 nA showed no significant differences from the control in germination or survival, whereas
currents above 150 nA markedly suppressed growth parameters, with survival reduced by up to 92.5% at 225
nA. As observed in studies with other ionizing radiation types, low current, low energy exposures produced no
adverse effects, suggesting that lentil seeds may tolerate low-dose proton irradiation. These results highlight
the importance of radiation shielding in deep-space missions and support the use of lentils as a candidate crop
for controlled breeding systems in extraterrestrial environments.
Description
Keywords
Germination, Irradiation, Lentil, Proton accelerator, Space breeding