Studies on the Influence of Pollutants from the Titanium Factory on Growth and Cell Divisions in Crotalaria laburnifolia Linn

Abstract

The present work was carried out as part of a comprehensive project initiated to evaluate the genotoxic potential of pollutants from the Titanium factory on plants. Detailed investigations on growth and cell divisions were conducted in C. laburnifolia found growing in these areas. For comparison, studies on control plants growing under the same environmental conditions, but in a different habitat were conducted. Toxic effects of pollutants in the environment were manifested in the plants growing near the factory by the presence of growth retardation, inhibition of cell divisions, chromosome clumping and a variety of chromosomal abberrations. Such abnormalities were lacking in the control plants.