In this study, morphological and anatomical features of Ornithogalum nutans and O. boucheanum, two relative and morphologically similar species growing in European Turkey, were investigated. These species showed some important anatomical differences with regard to leaf anatomy while they have identical features in stem. The stem anatomy of these two species displays the common properties of monocotyledons. The mesophyll is unifacial and contains monotypic chlorenchyma cells in the leaf of O. nutans. It has no lacunae. The mesophyll in O. boucheanum is equifacial and it has lacunae. This anatomical distinction may be useful for the identification of these similar-looking species.

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In this study, ultrastructural changes in root tip cells and leaf cells of lentil plants treated with 4 diff erent concentrations (0.25%, 0.5%, 1%, and 1.5%) of the herbicide fl uazifop-p-butyl (FPB) were determined. Th e experiments were performed with light and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and the chlorophyll content of the leaves was determined using spectrophotometric methods. Th e eff ect of FPB included alterations in cell walls, nuclei, plastids, cuticle, and epidermis. Th e obtained results indicate that the herbicide FPB has the ability to cause diff erent kinds of abnormalities in various cell organelles, especially the cell walls in root tips. Th e eff ect of FPB was not limited only to the anatomy and plastid ultrastructure of the leaf, but the chlorophyll content was also aff ected.

Plants are present in almost all areas of the world and can accumulate many chemical compounds present in the soil, water, and atmosphere. As these chemicals which are potentially mutagenic or carcinogenic are absorbed by the plants sharing the same environment with us, bioassays on plants can be used to detect the presence of environmental hazards. Another reason for selecting plants for assessing adverse efects of these chemicals is the ease of experimentation with plants. Evaluating the efect of a substance on basic plant characteristics such as growth, survival, or reproduction is straightforward and repeatable. Thus, various plant species are commonly utilized as indicators of adverse environmental conditions. This chapter covers the detection of environmental mutagens through plant bioassays, considering the increasing importance of biomonitoring using plants for assessing the mutagenicity of relevant chemicals and industrial waste. From this point of view, a detailed literature search was made on the subject. The genotoxic, cytotoxic, and molecular studies have been investigated and the most useful and important parts and key points of these methods were summarized. This review would be useful for scientists who are planning to conduct research on plant bioassays with diferent types of methods and chemicals.

SummaryIn this study, the effects of the fungicide Pomarsol Forte WP 80, the insecticide Arrivo 25 EC and the herbicide The End EC were examined for seed germination percentages, the phases of mitosis and chromosomal abnormalities in soybean (Glycine max L.). Median EC (effective concentration) values were calculated according to relative reduction in root length (T/C%) after treatment for 72 h. Germination percentages of primary soybean roots decreased with increasing pesticide concentrations. Cytological observations showed that the mitotic frequency in root meristematic cells was decreased and that abnormality frequency was also decreased in parallel to the increase in concentrations for all pesticides, except for the 9.6 M concentration of Arrivo 25 EC. The obtained results indicate that these 3 pesticides had the ability to cause a reduction in the seed germination percentage in the number of different phases of mitosis and in the leaf pigment content of soybean (G. max L.).