ABSTRACT
Nuclear radiations and their measurements are used in basic sciences, industrial, agricultural, energy and medical applications.
Most of the agricultural applications are in the sterilization of food and mutations of plants and seeds. This is very commonly done with beams from electron accelerators or gamma radiations from sources such as 60Co or 137Cs. The sterilization of food by heating and exposure to solar radiation is a centuries old technique. Drying fruits and vegetables by exposure to the sun’s radiation (irradiating) has been extensively used in developing countries. Sterilization by ultraviolet and microwaves is also very commonly employed. It is important to remember that gamma rays belong to the same family, viz., electromagnetic radiation, as ultraviolet and infrared radiation. Usually food irradiation is carried out by letting it pass by the source on a conveyor belt where it is exposed to radiation from a gamma emitting source or bremsstrahlung emitted by electrons from an accelerator.
