X Ray radiation and effect on flowering plants

[DavidChampion]

I need to know what plants I can use to irradiate with x ray radiation (from a dentist's office) to see if it creates any genetic mutation in the flower colors..What are some fast growing flowering plants, that I can 'zap' their seeds, and have enough time to see the effects.

[deleted-71490]

This site will give you all the information you need to begin the project you described. These plants complete their life cycle in approximately 28-30 days.
Plant breeders have been using the “Fast Plant” system for genetic studies for the past 30 years.
Read through the information at the site that describes the characteristics of the “Fast Plants” in terms of flower color and other phenotypes (physical attributes of plants you can see).

http://www.fastplants.org/

Matthew W. Mulanax, Ph.D.

[deleted-71703]

Hi, David,
What an interesting project! I was thinking that you could consider to use bulbs (like tulip,dhalia or gladiolus) for your experiment. The interesting thing about these plants is that they grow very fast (some of them in one week or so) and you don't even need to bury them in soil for them to grow: you can just put them over water and they quickly flourish. Maybe you should consider to have two of each of these plants, so you could use one as "control plant", letting it grow under normal light, and a second one that you could treat with the X ray radiation. You can in that way compare if the radiation makes any difference in the growing or the colors of the plant.
Hope that this help,
Carmen

[DavidChampion]

I have read some about using radishes for quick growth and they flower ?
Thanks

[deleted-71703]

Hi David,
You are right: radishes do flower. I have been reading a little bit online, and they seem to produce small flowers, although they don't do it very consistently, and I am not quite sure of how long it takes for them to flower. I have read that they take about 2 weeks to grow from seeds, but I don't know about the flowers. You could still consider the bulbs I talked to you about in my last message, if you wanted something faster, but of course you have the last word in your project.
I am attaching a website with information about how to grow radishes, hoping that it helps you.
http://www.gardenersnet.com/vegetable/radish.htm.
If you have any other question, don't hesitate in contacting us again.
Good luck!
Carmen