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The dose dependencies of growth and cytogenetical values have been built to determine the critical level of root apical meristem damage induced by cute irradiation in the range from 2 to 20 Gr. We have analyzed the frequencies of aberrant anaphases and the aberration distribution per cell, on the one hand, and the growth of biomass, the survival and regeneration of the root meristem, on the other hand. The critical level of damage to the stem apical meristem and root of seedlings was defined as 44-48% of aberrant anaphase. Exceeding of this level leads to the launch of suicidal program through induction of multiaberrant damages and interphase cell death. It appears that competition of clones of non-aberrant cells, the cells bearing 1 and 2 damages and multiaberrant cells plays the primary role in the mechanisms of recovery. The regeneration provides full or partial restoration of the main root apical meristem. However these local processes are insufficient to restore morphogenesis and survival of seedlings in excess of the critical level damage.

Experimental data were obtained that in pea seedlings modified by decapitation of main root had increased radioresistance (radioadaptation), fixed by various parameters of growth activity of lateral roots, and decreased ability to repair sublethal damages, detected by method of acute gamma-irradiation dose fractionation. These facts both with enlargement of dose dependence shoulder in lateral roots of decapitated seedlings led to conclusion that main role in such mechanism of radioadaptation effect of decapitation belongs to supercellular processes such as repopulation and regeneration. Conclusion was confirmed by the additional comparative investigations of cyto- and histological parameters of apical meristems of intact (control) and decapitated (experiment) lateral roots. It was shown, that the decapitated seedlings had increased mitotic activity of apical meristems of lateral roots and total volume of their meristematic zone. So at the moment of application of irradiation in the test-dose decapitated variant had significantly more meristematic cells of certain size that allowed biological object to form necessary (critical) amount of elements for valid or more complete postradiation recovery.