CYTOGENETIC STUDIES ON NORWAY SPRUCE [PICEA-ABIES (L) KARST]

Since 1989 we used a plant test system by the classification of chromo somal aberrations in the root tip meristems of young spruce trees [Pic ea abies (L.) Karst.] for an early detection of environmental influenc es on forest tree species. The results obtained from different natural sites and from fumigation experiments recommended this test system to be an easy and sensitive screening method for damages caused by envir onmental mixtures on spruce trees, for non-accumulating compounds as o zone, too. In the connection with these studies of the structural chro mosome alterations further techniques were performed to get informatio n about the heterochromatin behaviour of the chromosomes. Therefore C- banded preparations were done and as a further dividing tissue female gametophyte tissue was used. First results of the use of the interphas e nuclei for cytogenetic studies and the first steps to explore the pa ttern of the heterochromatic parts of the interphase nuclei are also p resented here.