Development of New Ruscus Products Using Gamma Radiation

Ruscus is an evergreen shrub that offers dark-green glossy foliage and plump red berries. Ruscus has an unusual feature in that the apparent "leaves" are actually flattened branches, known as cladodes. Ruscus is used as a green ornamental filler in bouquets. One of the benefits of this plant is a steady and profitable growth for exporting harvested branches.

One of the most prominent features of Ruscus is its ability to survive after harvest. The Ruscus branch lasts for weeks in a vase with water and looks fresh.

The main goal of the floral industry in Israel is to develop new ornamental products according to global market demands. The main assumption of this study is that growth of Ruscus for cut branches will continue to be profitable over the next years. Based on this assumption, research and development of Ruscus plants is worthwhile. One of the most significant ways to obtain new varieties in crops is to induce mutations. Most of the commercial mutants were obtained using gamma radiation.

The purpose of this study is to develop new Ruscus strains with unique phenotypes such as leaves with different shapes or colors. These Ruscus types will contribute to the expansion of the floral industry.

Therefore, Ruscus meristems were placed on Petri dishes in 8 sets. Each set contained 3 Petri dishes with at least 15 Ruscus meristems each. All Petri dishes were radiated by Gamma radiation in different doses using the Gamma radiation chamber (Co60) in the IRR1 at Soreq Nuclear Research center. All the samples were simultaneously radiated at 5,10,15,20,40,80 Gy doses (4 sets doses of 10,20,40,80 Gy + 4 sets doses of 5,10,15,20 Gy). Immediately after the radiation, all the samples were transferred into new plates and their viability was counted after 6 and 12 weeks.

The plants initiated from the radiated meristems are transferred to pots in order to examine structural mutants. Plants with interesting phenotypes will be vegetative propagate and their growth in commercial fields will be tested.