Title
Cytogenetical effect of some polyphenol compounds separated from industrial by-products on maize (Zea mays L.) plants
Authors
CORNELIU TANASE CSILLA IULIANA BARA and VALENTIN I. POPA

Received November 26, 2014
Published Volume 49 Issue 9-10 October-December
Keywords mitotic division, polyphenols, spruce bark, hemp shives, maize

Abstract
Plant growth and development are influenced by various exogenous and endogenous factors. In this context, a group of substances of particular interest are polyphenols. Considering the information presented in the literature data and the results obtained by our working group to date, our objective has been to study the influence of some polyphenolic extracts on the mitotic division. The investigated material comes from the seeds of maize, untreated (control) and treated with spruce bark polyphenolic extract (SBPE), hemp shives polyphenolic extract (HSPE) in different concentration. It was found that using SBPE or HSPE with lower concentration, the frequency of cells in mitosis was higher than in the control. At higher concentrations of the extracts, there were a higher number of cells with chromosomal aberrations. In the treatment variants, significant proportions had an ana-telophase (A-T) with bridges, delayed chromosomes and complex aberrations such as: A-T + bridges + late and/or expelled chromosomes, A-T multipolar + bridges. By using the RAPD technique, it was found that the effect generated by the SBPE and HSPE in high concentrations was the inactivation of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid).