Abstract

Studies on the effects of HF on meiotic chromosomes of tomatoes indicated a trend toward a higher frequency of chromosomal aberrations with an increase in the fumigation period. It was indicated that HF was capable of inducing paracentric inversions with the possibility of the induction of deficiencies, duplications or even translocations. The progeny obtained from the treated plants produced a number of abnormal phenotypes, the same as, or similar to, known mutations. Further studies in maize microsporocytes for plants treated with HF confirmed the cytological results obtained in tomatoes with clear evidence of the occurrence of inversions, translocations and deficiencies. These results suggest that HF seems to affect primarily the DNA molecule by blocking its replication, probably through its action on the enzymatic system.