Effect of Insecticide (BHC) on the neurosecretory cells of ventral nerve cord of adult Poekilocercus pictus (Acrididae).

Neurosecretory cells have been observed in all the ganglia of the ventral nerve cord of Poekilocerus pictus. In the suboesophageal ganglion they could be differentiated into 2 types on the basis of their staining reaction, but neurosecretory cells of all the other ganglia stain similarly. Effect of an organic insecticide BHC was observed on the neurosecretory cells of all the locations in the ventral nerve cord. Initially the insecticide acts to trigger the secretory activity but a prolonged action leads to a complete exhaustion of the secretory material which is also accompanied with many cytomorphological alterations such as loss of turgidity and compactness of the cells and appearance of undulations and sometimes complete rupture of the cell wall.