The Deployment of Nuclear Technologies in Agriculture for Better Crops & Life Saving

Nuclear technologies have been contributing to the improvement of people’s lives for decades. The practical appliance of nuclear science goes far beyond producing electricity. Nowadays in many countries nuclear solutions are applied for community needs: in medicine, agriculture and other industries. Irradiation is applied to seeds influencing them on chromosome layer. It causes emergence of superior characteristics in plants. Radioactive isotopes are also used to study metabolism and other physiological processes in plants determining the intensification of agricultural production.

Thailand is also one of the world’s leading agricultural products producer and exporter. According to Rosatom, the loss of grain products because of pests start at 10-15% in the first months of storage and can go up to 40% of the produce in the following months. The disadvantage of current non-radiation techniques for disinfestation of agricultural products include the high risk of the need to reprocess the grains/crops and the exposure of chemicals on humans. With over 70 years’ experience in the nuclear field, Rosatom’s radiation technologies do not reduce the nutritional value of agricultural products nor does it change their organoleptic qualities and its appearance. Thailand’s agricultural sector will remain a crucial industry that will help propel its economy forward. With this in mind, new technologies such as food irradiation could potentially change the game for farmers and crop producers throughout the ecosystem.