Studies on the use of ionizing radiation in preservation and storage of African sorghum grains. II- Preservation of sorghum grains from deterioration by the associated fungi during storage using gamma rays
Attaby, H.S.H.; Mahmoud, M.I.; Botros, H.W.
Egyptian Journal of Microbiology 36(3): 275-293
2001
Accession: 011415720
Sorghum bicolor grains were irradiated with different doses of gamma rays to preserve them during six months storage. All treatments, i.e., irradiation doses and storage periods, have no effect on grain moisture content, whereas grain germination was sharply decreased. Germinating grains, irradiated with 5.0 and 5.5 kGy at all storage periods produced dwarf seedlings. The lethal dose of the most frequent tested fungi within grains (in vivo) was higher than that on culture medium (in vitro). The percentage of discoloured grains, of all irradiated and non-irradiated samples, increased with the increase of storage time and decreased with the increase in radiation doses. Biochemical analysis of irradiated stored grains revealed slight variations in carbohydrate fractions, while protein content was not changed.