Assessing genotoxic effects of cadmium using Allium cepa, Zephyranthes rosea and Eucrosia bicolor

Abstract

The effects of cadmium chloride (CdCl2) solution at 0.02, 0.03, 0.06 and 0.09 ppm were
evaluated based on mitotic index (MI) and mitotic aberration (MA) in root tip cells of Allium cepa
Linn., Zephyranthes rosea (Spreng) Lind. and Eucrosia bicolor Ker-Gawl. It was found that the MI
of Cd-treated root tip cells in all experiments were lower than in the control statistically significant
(P<0.05). However, the MI of E. bicolor Ker-Gawl tended to decrease in higher concentration of
cadmium significantly (P<0.05). The MA of treated plants were seem to be increased from the
control. However, only Cd-treated root tip cells of E. bicolor Ker-Gawl was found to be
significantly different from those of control (P<0.05). Many types of nucleus and chromosome
aberration such as lagging chromosome, chromosome bridge, chromosome fragment, disturbed
chromosome, micronucleus and binucleate cell were found in this study.

Keywords: cadmium, Zephyranthes rosea (Spreng) Lind., Eucrosia bicolor Ker-Gawl, mitotic index, gennotoxicity