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Assessment of the genotoxicity potential of the nematicide insecticide carbofuran in wheat cells

Ilce Mara de Syllos Cólus^I,II; Catarina Satie Takahashi^II,III; Alfredo Otávio Rodrigues de Carvalho^IV

^IDepartamento de Biologia Geral, CCB, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Campus Universitário, 86051-970 Londrina, PR, Brasil. Send correspondence to I.M.S.C.
^IIDepartamento de Genética, FMRP-USP, Avenida Bandeirantes 3900, 14049-900 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brasil
^IIIDepartamento de Biologia, FFCLRP-USP, Avenida Bandeirantes 3900, 14049-900 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brasil
^IVInstituto Agronômico do Paraná, IAPAR, Caixa Postal 1331, 86001-970 Londrina, PR, Brasil

ABSTRACT

Carbofuran (Furadan), an insecticide-nematicide, is widely used for seed treatment in Brazil, against pests in crops such as wheat, rice and corn. It was assessed for its cytotoxic and or clastogenic potential in root meristems of Triticum aestivum (tested in vivo). Seed samples (100 grams each) were individually treated with one, two, four and eight liters of the pure commercial product/ 100 kg seed and germinated on three substrates: virgin soil, sterilized soil and growth chamber (on paper). For all treatments, no cytotoxic or clastogenic effects were observed in the meristem root cells.

Keywords: genotoxicity; nematicide; insecticide; carbofuran; wheat cells.

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