• Journal of Plant Biology
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.69-76
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• 1994

The present work was conducted to examine the effect of tobacco smoke solution, and its components such as nicotine and catechol treated separately on the root tip cells of Allium cepa L The mitotic abnormalities in root tip cells treated with those three components were increased linearly, while the mitotic index was decreased following concentrations of the components. Chromosomal abnormalities showed 29.7%, 15.8% and 13.0% in the treatment of tobacco smoke solution, nicotine, and catechol, respectively. The abonormalities were included polyploid, c-mitosis, stickness at metaphase, laggard, bridge formation at anaphase or telophase, and micronucleus, abnormal nucleus at interphase, after the treatment of the components for 24 hours. hours.