Open AccessMercury and selenium in a modified Allium test
Author(s) -
FISKESJÖ GEIRID
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
hereditas
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.819
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1601-5223
pISSN - 0018-0661
DOI - 10.1111/j.1601-5223.1979.tb01659.x
Subject(s) - allium , mercury (programming language) , selenium , biology , methylmercury , toxicology , horticulture , environmental chemistry , materials science , chemistry , metallurgy , computer science , programming language
A modified Allium test is presented implying that from the start of the experiment series of onions are grown in the different liquids to be tested – without first letting the root tips sprout in pure water. For screening purposes, macroscopical observations after two days of treatment, documented with photographic evidence of the degree of growth retardation or stimulation, will often suffice. For specific purposes, these observations should be supplemented by microscopic analysis, as has been done in the present work. The two procedures of the Allium test were compared: The new version, with longer time of treatment, seemed to be a little more sensitive than the original method. The specific aim of this study was to investigate whether sodium selenite has any effect antagonistic to methylmercury chloride poisoning, as has been reported in certain animal materials. No such effect was observed in the present experiments.