Indication of Environmental Mutagenesis with the Use of Higher Plants Specific Locus Systems

Plant assays play a great role in the biomonitoring of ecogenotoxicity and environmental pollution. Amongst them, specific locus systems provide a simple, relatively easily scored system for the detection of mutations in testing of chemicals and in situ. The screening is based on a phenotypic change caused by a mutation in a single locus. Numerous test systems have been developed, although some of them use a phenotypic characteristic based on more loci, and therefore are not a true specific locus system. A true specific locus system is for example the waxy locus of maize and the locus for the colour of Tradescantia stamen hair, while most of the chlorophyll mutants in most plants and embryonic mutants of Arabidopsis use a phenotypic characteristic based on more loci.