Homologous recombination in Arabidopsis seeds along the track of energetic carbon ions

► We constructed a continuous biological tissue equivalent with Arabidopsis seeds. ► It is the first time to demonstrate biological effects in vivo along the path of carbon ions in a continuous biological system. ► The genetic and developmental endpoints had different response to the carbon irradiation. ► The track structure of an incident particle plays an important role in the induction of biological effects along its path.