SIMAZINE - GENOTOXICITY STUDIES IN DROSOPHILA-MELANOGASTER

Simazine, a triazine herbicide, was tested for its genotoxic potential in the Drosophila wing spot and sex-linked recessive lethal tests fol lowing larval exposures. 3rd and 2nd instar mwh +/+ flr(3) transhetero zygous larvae were given chronic exposure to various concentrations of the test compound to record the frequency of wing spots in the eclosi ng adult wings. The standard Base technique was followed for the sex-l inked recessive lethal test, where Oregon-R larvae of similar age were exposed to the compound. It is concluded that simazine is genotoxic b oth in the wing primordial and male germ line cells of Drosophila.