Abstract
Effect of paradichlorobenzene on somatic chromosomes of Vicia faba, V. narbonensis, V. hirsuta, Pisum arvense and Lathyrus sativus was studied after giving a prolonged treatment. Various mitotic anomalies were encountered. These included shortening and thickening of chromosomes, precocious separation of chromatids, tetraploid cells, binucleate cells, chromosome bridges and chromosome breakage. The potentiality of PDB as a mutagenic substance had been emphasised and terms like PDB-treatment, PDB-mitosis and PDB-metaphase were suggested for convenient use. Chromosome breaks generally took place at the heterochromatic regions.
