REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON 

 AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SUPPLIES 



I. Introduction 



This Committee issued a report in 1956 reviewing the diverse ways in which radiation or 

 radioisotopes are of value or concern in agricultural research, agricultural production, and 

 food processing. Since then, members of the Committee in their respective fields of compe- 

 tence have followed closely the developments in these areas of science and technology. Col- 

 lectively they are in agreement that no major revision of their basic conclusions or recommen- 

 dations is called for now; however, if they were restated, there might be some amplification 

 and some changes in emphasis. There has been considerable progress in certain areas 

 during the past three years. In general this has been unspectacular in nature, and a continua- 

 tion of that process whereby research scientists in the laboratory or the field zealously fashion 

 and incorporate into the great edifice of knowledge bricks of varied sizes and structural 

 significance. 



II. Radiation in Agricultural Research 



We would like to reiterate our conviction that the contributions of radiation and of radio- 

 isotopes to agricultural production are coming primarily through acceleration in the progress 

 of agricultural research. In recent years there have been great changes in the production of 

 food for man and animals. The characteristics and the quality of crop and animal products 

 have been modified and may be expected to be further altered as research specialists gain 

 greater understanding of the physiology, biochemistry, and genetics of the basic biological 

 events involved in crop and animal husbandry. The technology and economics of agricultural 

 production similarly have undergone modification and will continue to be reshaped through 

 refinement and greater control of the necessary practices. 



III. Tracer Studies 



In the improvement of the products of agriculture and, to a lesser but significant degree, 

 in the modification of production practices, the use of various radioactive isotopes as tracers 

 has continued to grow, and is likely to become increasingly rewarding as new, ingenious, and 

 more discriminating techniques are devised. Studies involving the long-lived isotope of car- 

 bon- 14 have already greatly extended knowledge of the cellular metabolic processes in plants, 

 animals, and micro-organisms. Tritium labeling (hydrogen-3) of organic compounds, which 

 is now coming into wider use, should extend and reinforce the carbon studies. The peculiar 

 problems posed by biological systems, the wide range of isotopes now available, and the re- 

 markable sensitivity of modern instruments, taken together, suggest that there is still much 

 potential for development in the application of tracer techniques and molecular labeling. 



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