CHROMOSOMAL CHANGES IN MAIZE INDUCED BY HYDROGEN FLUORIDE GAS

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Abstract
Maize seedlings of the genotype A1A2C1Wx were fumigated in growth chambers with hydrogen fluoride (HF) at a concentration of about 3 μg/m3. The experiment was run for 10 days, with the first group of treated plants removed from the chambers after 4 days and then at intervals of 2 days. Microsporocyte smears from the treated plants revealed chromosomal aberations that included asynaptic regions, translocations, inversions, and bridges plus fragments or fragments by themselves. It is believed that these abnormalities were due to the physiological effect of HF causing the chromosomes to become sticky and/or to the occurrence of chromatid breakage followed by reunion to form structural changes. These findings indicate that HF is a mutagenic agent.