Methomyl has clastogenic and aneugenic effects and alters the mitotic kinetics in Pisum sativum L.

Methomyl is a carbamate pesticide that is frequently applied to crops all over the world. This research aims to evaluate the Pisum sativum L mitotic process and potential genotoxicity. The Cell Proliferation Kinetics (CPK) frequencies demonstrated changes in kinetics of mitotic process, and study of Mitotic Index (MI) demonstrated that methomyl had cytotoxic properties. In fact, the telophases ratio dropped at 0.1% to 0.5% methomyl treatment, while there was an increase in prophases, metaphases, and anaphases from 0.1% to 0.5% in a dose dependent manner. In terms of genotoxic-ity, methomyl cause an increase in the frequency of clastogenic and aneugenic chromo-somal abnormalities at metaphase-anaphase at 0.1% to 0.5%. The effects on the mitotic spindle were further confirmed by an increase in the frequencies of c-mitosis from 0.1 to 0.5% methomyl treatment. The outcome of the current analysis indicates that regu-larly used insecticides methomyl has a considerable cytotoxic effect on mitotic cells of Pisum sativum L.