Genotoxic effects of 5-bromouracil on cytomorphological characters of <i>Cichorium intybus</i> L.

Abstract

This work was done to study the effect of base analogue 5-bromouracil (5-BU) on the medicinal herb, Cichorium intybus. 5-BU induced miss pairing during the DNA replication. The seeds of C. intybus were treated with different concentrations of 5-BU. Variations in some parameters such as seed germination, seedling survival, seedling height, pollen fertility, days to flowering, days to maturity, number of leaves per plant, plant height, and chromosome behavior were studied in M1 generation. A positive correlation between increasing concentrations of mutagen and various cytomorphological characters of C. intybus was observed.

Key words: Chromosomal aberrations, Cichorium intybus, morphological variations, 5-bromouracil.