The study of the land plants was a part of the over-all
program of the Laboratory of Radiation Biology.

In this re-

port only the results of this portion of the program are presented.

The results of the investigations on

organisms already have been reported:
crabs (14) |

invertebrates (8) ,

the

following

2
reef fish | 4)

land

and algae (29) ,

The main objective of the land plant program was to determine the length of time required for a plant damaged by a
nuclear detonation to resume its normal functions of growth
and reproduction while being subjected to chronic radiation.

Other objectives were to determine

(1)

the rate of decline of

beta radioactivity in the tissues of land plants growing in
radioactive soil during the period starting shortly after detonation of a nuclear device

months later;

(Nectar)

and ending eigh=een

(2) the gross beta radioactivity of the land

plants at several islands of =niwetok Atoll,

and

take by the plants of specific radioisotopes

from the soil.

The main site of study was

of the detonation

(Fig.

1).

Belle

Island,

(3)

the up-

2.7 miles

3-SE

This area was estimated to be

far enough removed from ground zero that the plants would not
be uprooted by physical forces yet would have taken up suf-

ficient radioactivity for the proposed study.

Other islands

Select target paragraph3