The effects of gibberellic acid on Allium cepa root tip meristematic cells

Gibberellic acid (GA) is a natural plant growth regulator (PGR) which stimulates germination, vegetative growth, flowering, and fruit formation. However, when high concentrations of GA are used, it inhibits plant growth and development and causes abnormalities in the plant tissue. In our study, we determined the effects of different concentrations of GA on Allium cepa L. var. cepa roots. Increasing concentrations of GA (50 - 5 000 mg dm-3) were used in A. cepa root growth inhibition tests. Further, random amplified polymorphic DNA technique was used for determination of possible genotoxic effects of 600 - 1200 mg dm-3 GA on A. cepa root tips. Our findings show cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of these concentrations of GA and indicate that the difference among control and treatment groups were statistically significant.