Hort. Sci. (Prague), 2026, 53(3):249-258 | DOI: 10.17221/108/2024-HORTSCI

Determination of LD50 and GR50 for gamma irradiation in dragon fruit (Hylocereus spp.): Comparative study of red and white cultivarsOriginal Paper

Ganesan Karunakaran1, Gopavaram Pavithra2, Vangala Sivaramakrishna2, Thandavarajan Sakthivel1, Manivannan Arivalagan3, Duraisamy Kalaivanan4, Anbazhagan Thirugnanavel5, Thimmarayappa Ruchitha6, Kumarswamy Abhilash6
1 Division of Fruit Crops, ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
2 Department of Fruit Science, Dr. YSR Horticultural University, Venkataramannagudem, Andhra Pradesh, India
3 Division of Basic Sciences, ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
4 Division of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
5 Division of Fruit Crops, ICAR, Central Citrus Research Institute, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India
6 Department of Fruit Science, University of Horticultural Sciences, Bagalkot, Karnataka, India

Dragon fruit (Hylocereus spp.), an exotic vine cactus valued for its vitamin C and antioxidant content, shows limited genetic improvement through conventional breeding, making mutation breeding a promising alternative. The present study assessed the radiosensitivity of two cultivars (‘Red’ and ‘White’) using cobalt-60 gamma irradiation at 100–1 000 Gy. Seeds were pre-soaked, irradiated, and evaluated for germination, survival, and growth parameters. Linear regression analysis revealed lethal dose (LD50) values of 674.28 Gy (‘Red’) and 731.06 Gy (‘White’), while growth reduction (GR50) values for seedling height, shoot length, and root length ranged from 653.76–738.22 Gy in ‘Red’ and 616.08–855.08 Gy in ‘White’ cultivars. Increasing radiation doses had a significant negative effect on seedling growth and survival. This is the first report on dragon fruit radiosensitivity in India, providing a baseline for mutation breeding. The findings have broad implications for developing cultivars with novel traits, improved resilience, enhanced nutrition, and greater market potential.

Keywords: genetic improvement; radiation sensitivity; mutation; lethal dose; growth reduction

Received: May 31, 2024; Accepted: December 6, 2025; Prepublished online: September 8, 2026; Published: September 11, 2026  Show citation

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Karunakaran G, Pavithra G, Sivaramakrishna V, Sakthivel T, Arivalagan M, Kalaivanan D, et al.. Determination of LD50 and GR50 for gamma irradiation in dragon fruit (Hylocereus spp.): Comparative study of red and white cultivars. Horticultural Science. 2026;53(3):249-258. doi: 10.17221/108/2024-HORTSCI.
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