SSaudi Journal of Biological Sciences 15 (1) 9-23 June 2008
ISSN 1319-562 X
The Official Journal of the Saudi Biological Society
htt:www.saudibiosoc.com

Comparative Cytotoxicity of the Herbicide Atrazine to Four Inbred
Maize Lines (Zea mays L.)

Afaf I. Shehata, Haila A. Al-Ghethar, Ali A. Al-Homaidan and Ibrahim A. Arif
Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science,
King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

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Atrazine is one of the most widely used herbicides in the world. Recent reports have indicated that it has adverse impacts on the endocrine systems and on the early developments of wild animals and it has been banned in many European countries including Switzerland, the home of the manufacturing company. The genotoxic effects of Atrazine on four inbred lines of maize (Zea mays L.) were investigated. The herbicide showed mitoinhibition and clastogenic effects on the mitotic index of maize lines and they were proportional to the concentrations and time. The frequency of abnormality, chromosomal breakage, stickiness, lagging, C-metaphase and C-anaphase were observed at different stages of mitosis in treated cells. The harmful effect of this environmental pollutant proved that it may act as a strong mutagen.

Key words: Atrazine, inbred maize lines, clastogenic effects, mitoinhibition

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