Correlation between inhibition of photosynthesis and growth of Chlorella treated with methyl parathion.
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Date
1983-03
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Abstract
When methyl parathion (Ο,Ο dimethyl O p nitrophenyl phosphorothioate), an
organophosphorous insecticide, was added to an exponentially growing culture of Chlorella
protothecoides and the effects were followed for 12 days, the following observations were
made: a) In autotrophic culture the cell number and the chlorophyll content decreased as
compared to the control. These changes paralleled the inhibition of the rate of net
photosynthesis, suggesting that the photosynthetic apparatus was the primary target of the
insecticide action. b) The inhibition of cell growth (on cell number basis) also occurred in the
case of heterotrophic culture at 100 μΜ insecticide concentration but the inhibition was less as
compared to that of an autotrophic culture. c) The cell diameter in treated culture increased
by 10 20% in both autotrophic and heterotrophic cultures. The observations, (b) and (c)
suggest that apart from the photosynthetic apparatus, the insecticide has other sites of action,
but the sensitivity of these sites to the insecticide is less than that of the photosynthetic
apparatus.
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Keywords
Chlorella protothecoides, methyl parathion, photosynthesis, autotrophic, heterotrophic
Citation
Saroja G, Bose Salil. Correlation between inhibition of photosynthesis and growth of Chlorella treated with methyl parathion. Journal of Biosciences. 1983 Mar; 5(1): 71-78.