DROSOPHILA-MELANOGASTER, VICIA-FABA AND ARABIDOPSIS-THALIANA SHORT-TERM BIOASSAYS IN GENOTOXICITY EVALUATION OF AIR AND SOIL SAMPLES FROM SITES SURROUNDING 2 INDUSTRIAL FACTORIES IN THE CZECH-REPUBLIC

The Somatic Mutation and Recombination Test (SMART) in wing cells of D rosophila melanogaster, the Vicia faba cytogenetic tests - Sister Chro matid Exchange (SCE) and Micronucleus Test (MN), and the Muller test f or gametic mutations in Arabidopsis thaliana were used for genotoxicit y testing of environmental samples of pollutants from the surroundings of LACHEMA chemical factory (Brno, Czech Republic) and DEZA factory i n Valasske Mezirici (Moravia, Czech Republic), Tested soil and air sam ples were taken from the near vicinity of both factories, The surround ings of both sites are heavy loaded by exhalation of chemicals from th e factories, Chemical analyses of the 16 Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarb ons (PAHs) according to the United States Environmental Protection Age ncy (US EPA) list of priority pollutants and heavy metals were perform ed in both soil and air samples, The Drosophila wing spot test was pos itive in 70.6% of the tested samples, the Vicia sister chromatid excha nge test in 62.5%, and the Arabidopsis Muller test in 58.9%,The micron ucleus Vicia faba test was quite insensitive in tested environmental s amples, The concordance between SMART and SCE was 62.5%, between SMART and Muller test 76.5%, and between Muller test and SCE 100%, Total co ncordance of these three tests was 79.7%, Muller test for gametic muta tion in Arabidopsis thaliana and cytogenetic SCE test in Vicia faba se em to be quite sensitive and convenient plant bioassays for assessing the mutagenic potential of environmental agents, when compared to the SMART test in Drosophila melanogaster.