Gamma irradiation of herbarium material

Wed May 10 10:29:46 CDT 2000

The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service has decided to gamma
irradiate all returning herbarium loans and loan requests from overseas
sources entering Australia. Currently these items are heat treated at
60-70 deg C. My question is, does gamma irradiation affect  DNA in dried
plant specimens?

--
Wayne K. Harris, Senior Botanist
Queensland Herbarium
Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha
Mt Coot-tha Road
Toowong QLD 4066
Australia
Tel: 07 3896 9323 Fax: 07 3896 9624
E-mail: Wayne.Harris at env.qld.gov.au