Cytological Effects of Pesticides

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The cytological effects of some phenols which are either used as pesticides, or are the degradation or end-products of well known pesticides were tested on meiosis in Vicia faba. The experimental phenols showed little variation in the types of induced abnormal pollen mother cells (P.M. Cs). The most abundant meiotic irregularities were: stickiness, lagging chromosomes, and anaphase bridges; less common phenomena e.g. fragmentation were also observed. P-nitrophenol was the most toxic of the phenols used, as it produced the highest percentage of abnormal P. M. Cs. The phenols used in these experiments did not affect pollen viability. More than 40,000 P. M. Cs, and more than 50,000 pollen grains were examined.