Genotoxicity of Glyphosate (Pesticide) Using The Allium Cepa L. Assay.

The use of pesticides because of their importance cannot be overemphasized. Although there are warnings of the health implications posed by pesticides to lives due to their uncontrolled use. It is expedient that, glyphosate (a commonly used pesticide in Nigeria) be investigated for its toxic effects. This study investigated the effect of glyphosate using the Allium cepa assay. The roots of onion were exposed for 24 hours to varying treatment concentrations (0g/L, 0.75g/L, 1.5g/L, 3.0g/L, 6.0g/L, and 8g/L of glyphosate). Microscopic end points of different chromosomal aberrations were evaluated and it was observed that glyphosate induced genotoxic effects such as stickiness, micro nuclei, lagging chromosomes, C - mitosis, and nuclear lesion. Macroscopic parameters such as root length and number of roots were also evaluated. Obtained data were statistically analyzed at 0.05 (5%) level of significance using analysis of variance and the Student’s t-test. Root growth was retarded with increase in concentrations of glyphosate. Statistically, significant (P