[Effect of radiation changes in the spectrum UV on plant organisms].

The synthesis of UV absorbing pigments (flavonoids), induced by UV (lambdamax less than 300 nm) with linear dose dependency, which we have recently observed in seedlings of the Umbelliferae, is described. This may provide a protective mechanism against an excess of solar UV radiation. The physiological importance of UV for the plant is discussed from the point of view of radiation damage and the plant's resistance to it.