To investigate the biological effects of low-dose ⁶⁰Co-γ radiation on three Phalaris arundinacea resources and differentiate their radiation tolerance， their rhizomes with bud point （parental generation） were irradiated with 10 Gy of ⁶⁰Co-γ rays. The effects on seed germination and seedling physiological-biochemical characteristics of the first filial generation （M₁） were examined. The results demonstrated that radiation significantly suppressed germination rate， germination potential， and germination index of all three resources. Physiological analysis revealed chlorophyll and soluble sugar content in Phalaris arundinacea 3 significantly increased （P<0.05）， but peroxidase （POD） activity decreased. For Phalaris arundinacea 2， chlorophyll， malondialdehyde （MDA） content， and POD activity reduced， and soluble protein and superoxide dismutase （SOD） activity elevated. For Phalaris arundinacea 1， soluble sugar and soluble protein content markedly decreased. Correlation analysis showed significant positive relationships between germination parameters and photosynthetic pigments. Principal component analysis yielded consistent findings with correlation results. The low-dose radiation tolerance hierarchy established by subordinate function analysis was Phalaris arundinacea 3>Phalaris arundinacea 1>Phalaris arundinacea 2.

Phalaris arundinacea  /  Radiation mutagenesis  /  Seed germination  /  Seedling physiology