Abstract
There are many reasons why root tips may be regarded as the ideal plant tissue in which to study the effect of chemical substances on chromosomes. Root tips are easy to handle, and in the root meristem a large number of dividing cells may readily be obtained. Since the root-tip cells are directly exposed to the chemical in question, the effects of known concentrations can be studied. The chemicals to be tested are simply dissolved in the aqueous solution (tap water or nutrient solution) in which the roots are grown, and treatments are terminated by replacing the treatment solution with fresh water or nutrient solution. Furthermore, there are plant materials which combine the advantage of being inexpensive and easily available all year round with the advantage of having large chromosomes and a low chromosome number. Such materials are the horse bean, Vicia faba, and the common onion, Allium cepa.
The work performed in the author’s laboratory that is reported in this chapter was supported by grants from the Tri-Centennial Fund of the Bank of Sweden, the Swedish Natural Science Research Council, and the Swedish Cancer Society.
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Kihlman, B.A. (1971). Root Tips for Studying the Effects of Chemicals on Chromosomes. In: Hollaender, A. (eds) Chemical Mutagens. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-8969-3_8
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