Evening star., 1949-09-30
100-Acre Test Planned
With Irrudiuted Peanuts
Seed Plants for North Carolina Farm
Made Radioactive at Oak Ridge
By Thomas X. Henry

Dp IHOWUS N. He"y
OAK RIDGE, Tenn.-Nearly 100 acres Of
irradiated peanuts will be grown next year
by the North Carolina State Agricultural
College.
This will be the biggest experiment yet
tried to determine the genetic effects Of ex-
ploding isotopes on future generations. The
seed peanuts, which will be planted on the
coastal plain experimental farm near Rocky
Mount under the direction of DR.. Walton C.
Gregory under an Atomic Energy Commis-
sion contract. already have been made radio
active by Oak Ridge scientists. 1t is all part
of a large-scale peanut breeding project
which DR.. Gregory has carried on for several
years.
The peanut plant is subject to devastat-
ing disease called leaf spot. 1t causes the
leaves to fall from the vines, ruins their
value as fodder and seriously cuts down the
peanut crop itself. It long has been hoped
that this would be overcome by mutation"
the appearance of new hereditary line Of
peanuts which would be resistant to the
fungus
Way New Species Arise.
Mutations appear constantly among all
living things. That is how new species arise
in the world. For the most part, however,
they are bad. They usually fail to survive
because the changes usually are in the line
OF defects which render the plant or animal
less able to carry on the struggle for
existence.
Dr. Gregory's idea is to increase the num-
ber of these mutations among his peanuts
many fold. 1t is we'll known that irradiation
of germ pasm-in the case of plants the
seeds-greatly increases the mutation rate
and the number of freaks But the more Of
such changes there are the greater the like
lihood that few will prove beneficial and
that one or more will have hereditary
resistance to leaf spot.
The peanut, Oak Ridge geneticists point
out is particularly difficult plant with
which to work since it has four sets Of
chromosomes. the carriers Of heredity.
instead of the two sets which are common
to most living things, including man.
1t is expected that the first generation at
Rocky Mount will prove little. DR.. Gregory
will save all the seedlings, many of which
may appear worthless, and breed and cross
breed them Some of those with the worst
appearance may have the essential anti
disease heredity and they can be used
to breed it into reproducing stock.
Breeding experiments have been in prog
ress for the past 10 years, but without the
aid OF radioactivity to smash up the bonds
of heredity. In the course of this work
some of the wild ancestors of the peanut
have been secured from South America
where, it now seems certain. the crop origi-
mated. These ancestors still grow wild in
the Chaco jungles.
Plant Carried Over World.
The plant was introduced northward by
the Indians long, before the arrival Of the
first white men. 1t was picked up early by
Portuguese mariners and carried over the
world. Wild ancestors have failed to impart
disease resistance when bred with cultivated
varieties.
Naturally, the North Carolina experiment
is looked on by Atomic Energy Commission
scientists as being of much more significance
than simply for it's possible effects on pea
nuts, per Sc The peanut crop is Of growing
value. but the results may show the way
to extending the mass mutation work to all
major crops. There is constant struggle
between cultivated plants Of all kinds and
disease It may be possible to induce thou
sands of mutations in such crops as wheat
and corn in the hope that few OF them
will show high resistance to specific diseases.
Several years will be required before much
information of value can be expected from
the North Carolina experiments. ..