Microscopic examination on cytological changes in Allium cepa and shift in phytoplankton population at different doses of Atrazine

Nabarun Ghosh; Kristen Finger; Samantha Usnick; William J. Rogers; A. B. Das; Don W. Smith

doi:10.1117/12.853238

3 June 2010 Microscopic examination on cytological changes in Allium cepa and shift in phytoplankton population at different doses of Atrazine

Nabarun Ghosh, Kristen Finger, Samantha Usnick, William J. Rogers, A. B. Das, Don W. Smith

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 7729, Scanning Microscopy 2010; 77291W (2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.853238
Event: Scanning Microscopy 2010, 2010, Monterey, California, United States

Abstract

Atrazine is a wide-range herbicide. For over 50 years, atrazine has been used as a selective broadleaf herbicide in many capacities, from pre-plant to pre-emergence to post-emergence, depending on the crop and application. Currently, 96% of all atrazine used is for commercial applications in fields for the control of broadleaf and grassy weeds in crops such as sorghum, corn, sugarcane, pineapple and for the control of undesirable weeds in rangeland. Many panhandle wells have also detected atrazine in samples taken. The concern for the public is the long-term effect of atrazine with its increasing popularity, and the impact on public health. We investigated the effect of different concentrations of atrazine on Allium cepa (onion), a standard plant test system. We established a control with the Allium bulbs grown on hydroponics culture. Varying concentrations of atrazine was used on the standard plant test system, Allium cepa grown hydroponically. The mitotic indices varied and with higher doses, we observed various chromosomal abnormalities including sticky bridges, early and late separations, and lag chromosomes with higher doses of treatments. In the second part of the experiment, 0.1ppb, 1ppb, 10ppb, and 100ppb concentrations of atrazine were applied to established phytoplankton cultures from the Lake Tanglewood, Texas. Study with a Sedgwick-Rafter counter, a BX-40 Olympus microscope with DP-70 camera revealed a gradual shift in the phytoplankton community from obligatory to facultative autotroph and finally to a parasitic planktonic community. This explains the periodic fish kill in the lakes after applications of atrazine in crop fields.

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Nabarun Ghosh, Kristen Finger, Samantha Usnick, William J. Rogers, A. B. Das, and Don W. Smith "Microscopic examination on cytological changes in Allium cepa and shift in phytoplankton population at different doses of Atrazine", Proc. SPIE 7729, Scanning Microscopy 2010, 77291W (3 June 2010); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.853238

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KEYWORDS

Bridges

Microscopes

Microscopy

Statistical analysis

Agriculture

Luminescence

Molecular bridges

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