1. Nuclear uses in agriculture Luis Eduardo Estrada ME337D

2. Main uses Food irradiation Plant breeding Soil and water studies Insect / pest control

3. Food Irradiation Gamma, x-ray and beta particle irradiation Preserves meat and produce for longer periods of time by eliminating bacteria and microorganisms.

4. Plant breeding Modify the genetic makeup of seeds to achieve different strains of genetically enhanced plants. Achieve higher yield, high climate tolerance, faster growth, immunity against pests.

5. Plant breeding cont. Develop saline-tolerant rice varieties. Development of disease-tolerant bananas Higher yield crops for corn, wheat, soy, etc. Genetically induced changes in the size of many fruits.

6. Soil and water studies Fertilizer intake tracing by isotope ratio detection ( 15-N, 13-C, 34-S, 18-O) 1. Allows for better fertilizer use to achieve biggest intake with least amount of fertilizer Water intake measurements by isotope ratio detection (18-O and deuterium) 1. Detects intake source and quantity.

7. Insect / pest control Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) 1. Used as suppression, containment and prevention techniques. Works by irradiating large amounts of the target insect with gamma or beta radiation to make it sterile. Released to the environment so they mate without releasing offspring. Great reduction in need of pesticides.

8. Myths Irradiated food is radioactive Genetically enhanced food is unnatural and dangerous Sterile Insect technique makes the pests radioactive.