Effects of ionizing radiation decontamination on botanical collections in herbaria

Abstract

Herbaria collections are very sensitive to attacks from microorganisms and insects. Therefore, preservation strategies and appropriate treatments are essential to manage these artifacts. Decontamination by ionizing radiation has become an effective strategy to preserve cultural heritage objects and archived materials, achieving excellent results. Therefore, this work aimed to study the effects of Co-60 gamma radiation on botanical collections. To accomplish this, samples of exsiccates, including botanical pressed and dehydrated specimens from Asteraceae and Solanaceae families, collected on diferentes dates were selected from the Dom Bento José Pickel Herbarium (SPSF), located in São Paulo (Brazil). Irradiation was performed at the Multipurpose Gamma Irradiation Facility at IPEN, applying absorbed doses of 1 kGy, 6 kGy and 10 kGy. Gamma radiation effect was analyzed using colorimetry with CIELAB color space scale, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and attenuated total reflectance with Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. Results showed no significant colorimetric changes, or changes in the morphological properties of samples, indicating that this decontamination method can be used as an alternative treatment to eliminate insects and micro-fungi of botanical collections without the use of toxic substances.