Radioactive pollution comes on the top of pollution types that affect human life directly through
damaging the human genome or indirectly via his food web. The current study focused on the evaluation
of radiation effects of Assiut Thermal Power Plant (ATPP) ashes on two crop plants, potato and squash, in
terms of morphological and molecular levels. More particularly, the specific activity concentrations were
measured in Bq/kg, of the 238U (226Ra) and 232Th series, and 40K-isotope for the untreated soil sample
(control) and ATPP ash sample (represents the radioactive source with 100% concentration). Different
concentrations of ATPP ash (0, 2, 4, 6 and 8%) were mixed with soil sample to study the effect of
radioactively contaminated soil on potato and squash plants. The results of the present investigation
revealed that the morphological characteristics of both potato and squash plants were changed, which
reflected a steep regression in the values of all vegetative growth and yield traits. The alterations of the
characteristic values were directly proportional to the radioactive ash concentration in the soil. In the
same context, the molecular evaluation using PCR-based markers, e.g., ISSR and SCoT helps in understanding
and explaining experimental observations at morphological level. ISSR/SCoT bands confirmed
the toxicity and mutagenicity of radioactive ash samples at their present dose on both potato and squash
plants. The present findings clearly explained the morphometric and genetic abnormalities in two of the
main consumed crops by a human. Thus, the green area around the ATPP may disappear in the future due
to increasing the pollution in terms of the radioactive component that directly attached to plants or
indirectly by mixing with soil.