Abstract
The mutagenic activity of manganese ions when applied either alone or in various combination with two alkylating mutagens, ethyleneimin and propane Sultone were studied using dormant seeds of pea as a test material. The criteria for measuring the biological damage were seed lethality, seedling injury, mitotic and meiotic chromosomal aberrations and the frequency of leaf spots on first two leaves of the seedling. Mn++ by itself does not cause much seed or seedling injury but produces a moderate amount of chromosomal aberrations with a corresponding increase in the frequency of leaf spotting. When El treatment were accompanied by Mn++ there was an overall reduction in the biological damage caused by El alone, where as when Mn++ was given prior to PS treatment, there was an overall increase in the damage caused by PS alone. A positive correlation was found between chromosomal aberrations and the frequency of leaf spotting.
Data have been discussed with special reference to the probable mode of action of manganese ions and its influence on the activity of other mutagens.
