Over 40 varieties of crops have been developed by the Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC) under its nuclear agriculture program.
The BARC had developed 15 varieties of groundnut, eight of mung bean (greengram), five of urad bean (blackgram), four of tur (pigeonpea), three of mustard, two of soybean and one each of chavali (cowpea), sunflower, rice and jute.
"If the country has to be food self-reliant, then it is imperative to embrace nuclear agriculture technology, especially when the agriculture land is getting scarce and demand for food is growing exponentially," Suresh G Bhagwat, Head, Nuclear Agriculture & Biotechnology Division of BARC said here yesterday.
"India needs to boost its food production as well as ensure its safety and fair distribution to its increasing population. Nuclear radiation-based technologies can contribute to this effort very significantly," he said.
According to Bhagwat, one of the major benefits of radiation effects on plants is enhancement of genetic variability, which can be harnessed to develop new varieties of crops like cereals, pulses and oilseeds with desirable characters such as increased yield, disease resistance, early maturity, salinity or water stress tolerance etc.
These 41 varieties of different crops developed by BARC's Nuclear Agriculture and Biotechnology Division at Trombay, in collaboration with some of the agriculture universities in different states, have been gazette-notified by the Union Ministry of Agriculture for commercial cultivation by farmers in different states.
BARC has also developed several protocols for micro propagation of elite varieties of banana.
Dr Arun K Sharma, Head, Food Technology Division, BARC, presented his study on Post Harvest Technology under Nuclear science.
"Much as we may produce, the key to sustainability lies in ensuring proper preservation and safety of food. For this purpose, reduction in post-harvest losses is of utmost importance," he said.
"Radiation processing of agricultural produce offers a major technology alternative to chemical fumigants for this purpose. Treatment with gamma radiation or electron beam enables dis-infestation of insect pests in stored products, delay in ripening of fresh fruit, inhibition of sprouting in tubers and bulbs like potatoes and onions, destruction of food spoilage bacteria and elimination of parasites and pathogens in food," he added.
Dis-infestation of quarantine pests in fresh produce provides a major boost to international trade and promotes export, Sharma said, adding, "Considering that India is the world's second largest producer of fruit and vegetables, the immense potential of radiation processing for export needs to be realised and well utilised."
BARC has taken a lead in the development of irradiation protocols for several food products and have a unique R&D presence. Very encouraging signs are increased public acceptance of food irradiation and interest of private entrepreneurs in setting up radiation processing plants."
Replying to a query on the possible ill effects of Mobile Towers, Dr Bhagwat said that BARC does not carry out research in the mobile telephony technology. "However, there is no conclusive evidence of any form of radiation is causing cancer including mobile telephony," he said.