Radiation Effects on Plants in Long-Duration Space Flight

Clifford Hall, Room 210

Plants are quite persistent and can grow in less than optimum conditions. One external environment that has a profound impact on a plant’s life cycle is radiation. Radiation can either improve or hinder a plant’s ability to flourish. From the research gathered it has been concluded that plant’s ability to tolerate radiation and still grow is determined by four conditions: (1) When in the plant’s life cycle the radiation is emitted, (2) The duration of the exposure, (3) the type of radiation being emitted, (4) The type of plant that is being exposed to the radiation. Under the right conditions plants could grow faster, yield more, and create a newer generation of radiation resistant plants.