THE ASSESSMENT OF OZONE STRESS BY RECORDING CHROMOSOMAL-ABERRATIONS IN ROOT-TIPS OF SPRUCE TREES [PICEA-ABIES (L) KARST]

Spruce plants were exposed in environmental chambers to different leve ls of ozone for six weeks to study the influence of increased ozone on root tip chromosomes of spruce trees. No visible symptoms resulted fr om these treatments. The classification of chromosomal defects was use d to characterise the influences on the root rips caused by ozone. Dir ectly after the fumigation had ceased the fumigated variant showed a s ignificantly increased number of chromosomal aberrations in comparison to the control. Five further investigations of both variants of this experiment up to Mo years after the fumigation had ended showed a long -term after-effect to ozone on the genetic material of spruce trees. T he observed chromosomal aberrations in all variants of the experiment consisted of chromosomal stickiness, chromosomal breakage, and fragmen tation. The main type of the observed chromosomal abnormalities was ch romosome stickiness leading to cell death.