Journal of Environmental Biology

In-situ monitoring of chromium cytotoxicity in sugarcane

Author Details

Sangeeta Srivastava

(Corresponding author)

Division of Crop Improvement, Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research,

Lucknow - 226 002, India

e-mail: sangeeta_iisr@yahoo.co.in

Radha Jain

Division of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research,

Lucknow - 226 002, India

Publication Data

Paper received:

12 January 2010

Revised received:

13 December 2010

Accepted:

18 December 2010

Abstract

The potential of in-situ monitoring of cytotoxic effects of chromium through root-tip assay was studied in a sugarcane cultivar CoLk 8102 (Saccharum spp. hybrid). Sugarcane setts supplied with graded concentrations of chromium (VI), exhibited a reduction of 85.92 and 95.10 % in mean root length at 40 and 80 ppm Cr dosages along with 61.25 and 82.50 % reduction in mean root number/node respectively. Mitotic index of root tip cells of treated setts declined and the frequency of aberrant mitotic phases increased pari passu to the increasing chromium concentration. To compare and quantify the effect of graded chromium dosages on frequency of chromosome aberrations vis-?-vis inhibition of mitotic activity, a ?Decretion factor? (D.F.) has been used for the first time. The value of DF increased with the increase in the chromium dosages.? The increase in chromosome aberration frequency was low at low chromium dosages (1 or 2 ppm), but the high Cr dosages (40 and 80 ppm), induced sharp reduction in mitotic efficiency of root system along with anomalies in the process of cell division and induced chromosome aberrations in sugarcane root meristem, which in turn affected the over all plant growth.

Key words

Chromosome aberrations, Decretion factor, Heavy metals, Mitotic index, Root-tip assay, Saccharum species ?

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