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The s-triazine herbicide terbutylazine, an inhibitor of photosystem II, is often found in surface waters in concentrations < 1 microg L(-1), but concentrations up to 13 microg L(-1) have been measured. To study the effect on the aquatic flora, we tested the sensitivity of 10 aquatic macrophyte species and a natural epiphyte community in a 2-week laboratory multispecies test at constant terbutylazine concentrations and two irradiance regimes. The data were described by a log-logistic concentration-response model and species sensitivity distributions (SSDs) were created from the EC50 and EC10 values. The 5% hazard concentration (HC5) of the EC10-based SSD for terbutylazine was 1 and 3 microg L(-1); hence the low chronic terbutylazine concentrations measured in the environment are not likely to affect the macrophyte community. To compare the species sensitivity between different groups of herbicides, SSDs were constructed from a published study on the sulfonylurea metsulfuron-methyl, an inhibitor of acetolactate synthase. There was no correlation between species-specific sensitivity to the two herbicides; hence, the combined exposure of different herbicides might affect the macrophyte community more broadly rather than seriously affecting a few susceptible species. Evaluating the standard procedure of leaving at least a factor of 100 between the EC50 of standard tests on Lemna sp. and the predicted environmental concentration seems to be protective for at least 95% of the macrophyte species for both terbutylazine and metsulfuron-methyl.

The effectiveness of neutrons from a Californium-252 source in the induction of various abnormalities in the Tradescantia clone 4430 stamen hair cells (Trad-SH assay) were studied. A special attention was paid to check whether any enhancement in effects is visible in the cells enriched with boron ions. Inflorescences, normal or pretreated with chemicals containing boron, were irradiated in the air with neutrons from a 252Cf source at KAERI, Taejon, Korea. To estimate the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of the beam under the study, numbers of Tradescantia inflorescence without chemical pretreatment were irradiated with various doses of X-rays. The ranges of radiation doses used for neutrons were 0-1.0Gy and for X-rays 0-0.5Gy. Following the culturing according to standard procedures screening of gene and lethal mutations in somatic cells of stamen hairs was done in the extended period, between days 7 and 19 after exposures. Maximal RBE values for the induction of pink, colorless and lethal mutations were evaluated from comparison of the slopes in linear parts of the dose response curves obtained after irradiation with X-rays and californium source. The RBE(max) value or the induction of gene mutation was estimated as 7.2 comparing the value 5.6 in the studies reported earlier. The comparison of dose-response curves and its alteration, due to changes in the cells and plants environment during and after irradiation, explains the observed differences. Inflorescence pretreated with borax responded to neutrons differently depending on the biological end points. Although, for the induction of pink mutations no significant difference was observed, though, in the case of cell lethality, pretreated with boron ion plants have shoved a statistically significant increase of the RBE value from 5.5 to 34.7, and in the case of colorless mutations from 1.6 to 5.6.

Upon illumination, the cotyledons of Catharanthus roseus seedlings readily synthesise vindoline from late biosynthetic intermediates, which accumulate in etiolated seedlings. The cellular localisation of tryptophan decarboxylase (TDC) and desacetoxyvindoline 4-hydroxylase (D4H), which catalyse the first and penultimate reactions of vindoline biosynthesis, was identified by immunocytochemistry in developing seedlings. The expression of TDC was restricted to the upper epidermis of cotyledons, whereas that of D4H was confined to laticifer cells. Light exposure of etiolated seedlings significantly induced D4H enzyme activity without changing the steady-state levels of D4H immunoreactive protein or modifying the cellular distribution of D4H expression in dark-grown seedlings. These results suggest that the early and late stages of vindoline biosynthesis occupy different cellular compartments, even in the early phases of etiolated seedling development. The role of light in activating the late stages of vindoline biosynthesis does not, therefore, seem to be related to the formation of the laticifer and idioblast cell types. It is concluded that light is not required for formation of these cell types, whereas regulatory factors, restricted to idioblasts and laticifers, may respond to light to activate localised expression of the late stages of vindoline biosynthesis.

The sensitivity of an important aquatic macrophyte, duckweed (Lemna major), to UV-B radiation was studied under experimental conditions at three different doses designated as no, mild, and severe injury dose by observing visible injury symptoms and estimating levels of chlorophyll, pheophytin, carotenoids, protein, starch, free sugar, and peroxidase activity. Laboratory-grown duckweed plants were exposed to UV-B radiation at 0.4 mW/cm(2) intensity for different time periods. Mild and severe injury were developed at 6.48 and 8.64 J, respectively. Peroxidase activity increased at all the exposure levels. Dose-dependent decrease in chlorophyll and starch with drastic depletion in protein and free sugar content were observed. Pheophytin and carotenoids content increased at no injury level, but decreased at higher exposure level. The results indicate that ambient UV-B radiation at the indicated level acts as a physiological stress in Lemna major., (Copyright 2000 Academic Press.)

Electron paramagnetic resonance and thermoluminescence signals induced by gamma irradiation in some herbs, spices and fruits were systematically studied in order to detect the treatment. Using European protocols the validity and effectiveness of these two techniques are compared in regard to time of storage after irradiation.

Seedlings of Crepis capillaris were irradiated after pulse-labelling with tritiated thymidine ([3-H]TdR), and both chromosomal aberrations and presence of silver grains were recorded in the same metaphase cells at various intervals throughout the whole mitotic cycle. The following results were obtained: (a) irradiated roots were homogeneous with respect to the number of aberrations, and heterogenous with respect to labelling index (LI); (b) time--effect curves for labelled (L) and unlabelled (U) cells showed no significant difference from one another; (c) no significant quantitative difference of aberration spectra produced in S and G2 stages was found. These results support the view that the major factor which determines both quantitative and qualitative variation in the production of chromosomal aberrations by radiation is the time lapse between irradiation and fixation rather than relation of the time of irradiation to the time of DNA synthesis. In addition, it was found that labelling with [3-H]TdR modifies the effect of radiation on chromosomes.