Atomic Seeds

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I just remembers something from a long, long time ago. When I was a youngster, they sold Atomic Seed. These are seeds exposed to radiation that was a method to breed mutations.



The interest in using nuclear radiation in plant breeding to induce helpful mutations “grew out of post-WWII efforts to use the colossal energy of the atom for peaceful pursuits in medicine, biology, and agriculture. ‘Gamma Gardens’ at national laboratories in the US as well as continental Europe and the USSR bombarded plants with radiation in hopes of producing mutated varieties of larger peanuts, disease resistant wheat, more sugary sugar maples, and African violets with three heads….”



I think as a young teenager I actually bought a packet of these irradiated seeds and planted them in our garden. I was expecting something like a 40 pound carrot or something. But the actual plants were not much different than normal plants.

This was back in the days when backyard atomic bomb shelters were in vogue.



Source: Strange and Beautiful Seeds From the Atom

Apparently they are still selling these types of seeds today. Normally they are being used in school science projects.



Irradiated with intense Gamma radiation at various levels, our 'Atomic Seeds' can produce a variety of mutations and even a never before seen changes. Exposure to Gamma rays of sufficient intensity can cause radical changes to the DNA in the seeds. The plants may grow giant (or dwarf), with strange colors, shapes or other amazing features. Some may barely sprout, others may grow faster than normal. The possibilities are truly endless.

When you order Atomic Seeds, you get 5 packs of seeds. Each of the 5 packs contains at least 20 seeds, a total of over 100 seeds. Pack #1 is the 'control' pack, which contains normal seeds that have not been irradiated. Pack #2 contains seeds that have been irradiated with 50,000 rads of Gamma rays. Pack #3 contains seeds irradiated with 150,000 rads. Pack #4 seeds irradiated with 500,000 rads, and Pack #5, seeds irradiated with 4,000,000 rads. Plant the seeds as you normally would, and observe the difference in the plants as they grow and mature.

Source: Atomic Seeds

Most of the peppermint oil sold today comes from a variety of mint that was created with thermal neutron irradiation in 1971.  In Texas, a type of grapefruit known as "Rio Star" accounts for roughly 75% of total grapefruit production.  It was produced by a similar process and is desired because of its vibrantly-red flesh.

Similarly, about half of the rice grown in California is of a type called Calrose 76, also a product of radio-active experimentation.  In fact, over 2,000 mutant crops are officially registered all over the world which were produced by intentional irradiation.  Event today, the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), the UN's "Food & Agriculture Organization", and Japan's "Institute of Radiation Breeding" all still experiment with atomic gardening.

The trees that survived the atomic bombing in Hiroshima are called Hibaku trees or A-bombed trees. Artist Hiroshi Sunairi received some 2nd and 3rd generation seeds from these resilient trees and decided to grow them out as well as give them to people around the world. He collected letters and photos from the people who grew seedlings and put together the exhibit at the Horticultural Society. There are photos of the original Hibaku trees in Japan and the signs that commemorate them on the Tree Project blog.

The Hibaku seeds are a powerful reminder that even through horrific events, hope survives as long as we pass it on and share it.

Source: Atomic Seeds

Ruby-red grapefruit, rice, wheat, pears, cotton, peas, sunflowers, bananas and countless other produce owe their present-day heartiness to the genetic modification afforded by atomic gardening.





Source: Atomic Gardening in the 1950s

Just thinking of all this scares me. Did those seeds blow up at all?

This is the new-to-me thing I learned about today. Thanks forum!

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I would like to plan some.

.. Not for consumption, of course.

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Good name for a seed bank.

Not plane seeds?