Studies on the Comparative Effects of Certain Chemicals on the Polyploidising Efficiency of Colchicine inTrigonella Foenum-GraecumL.

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Abstract
The comparative effects of colchicine in combination with 11 chemicals (1 paradichlorobenzene, 2 coumarine, 3 saponin, 4 α-bromonapthalene, 5 phloroglucinol, 6 8-hydroxy-quinoline, 7 gammexane, 8 aesculine, 9 acenapthene, 10 β-bromonapthol and 1l phenol) on the production of polyploid cells in Trigonella foenum-graecum has been studied. In the chemicals alone in comparison to water the root growth has been accelerated in (1), (7) and (9) while (5) shows no change and in the rest there is a decrease. In Combination with colchicine every chemical shows decrease except in (3), and 10. The frequency of metaphase plates per root tip is lowest in water while it reaches the maximum in (3) followed by (4), (8), (5), (7), (6), (9), (1), (10) and colchicine in decending order. In combination with colchicine the accumulation of metaphase plates increases in (1) while in the rest there is a decrease. The rate of root growth and karyokinetic activity are not interrelated to each other. There is some correlation between frequency of chromosomal aberrations and retardation of growth rate of roots. In chemicals alone only arrested metaphases were observed in (4) rest had all diploid cells. In combination every root tip showed assemblage of 2 n, 4 n and 8 n cells while 3 n, 6 n and 10 n cells were rather rare. The highest percentage of 10 n cells is in saponin combination. Although with the passing of time the ploidy level increases there is marked decrease in the frequency of metaphase plates per root tip. The principal chromosomal aberrations encountered during the study are tripolar spindles, arrested metaphase plates, groups of chromosomes within a cell, two independent spindles in a cell, unequal separation at anaphase, somatic reduction, stray chromosomes at metaphase, multinucleate cells and ‘split spindles’. The percentage of polyploid cells increases in combinations as compared to the set treated with colchicine alone. It is suggested that in plants where colchicine alone is not effective it may become so in combination with certain chemicals which can antagonise the substances present, in the plant which inhibit the activity of colchicine.