Genotoxic Hazards in Plants Induced by Agrochemicals

The paper deals with the genotoxic hazards of two chemicals viz. Turbutryn (herbicide) and Leptophos (insecticide) on the meristematic cells of Vicia faba L. The seeds of Vicia faba L. were treated with different concentrations of the two agrochemicals separately for 4 and 6 hrs at room temperature. It was noticed that both the chemicals induced chromosomal abnormalities, i.e., stickiness, fragment, bridge and c-mitosis. The abnormalities gradually increased with increasing dose of the pesticides. C-mitosis was caused due to treatment with 1% turbutryn for 6 hrs. It was interesting to note that Turbutryn is more genotoxic than Leptophos. Hence, before the use of agrochemicals, the genotoxicity level must be considered.