EFFECT OF MONOCROTOPHOS ON ELECTROLYTIC LEAKAGE, PROLINE CONTENT AND NITROGEN METABOLISM OF FLOATING PTERIDOPHYTE AZOLLA MICROPHYLLA

The green revolution increased productivity in its initial phase, but excessive application of modern intensive agriculture, e.g., use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides poses a serious threat to the environment and sustainable agriculture. The effects of the green revolution have shifted concern from increasing productivity to sustainability and resource conservation. The goal of this work is to investigate the effect of insecticide monocrotophos on electrolytic leakage, proline content and nitrogen metabolism of small-leaf floating aquatic pteridophyte Azolla microphylla, which lives in symbiosis with a nitrogen fixing cyanobacteria, Anabaena azollae. Mean root number and root length decreased under monocrotophos as compared to control. At higher concentrations, roots were dillateted, brown and inactive. Electrolytic leakage and proline content increased with increase of monocrotophos concentrations. The nitrogenase activity assayed in the present investigation increased at lower concentrations and decreased at higher concentrations. Exposure of the Azolla to different concentrations of monocrotophos decreased the glutamine synthetase activity at all concentrations compared to control. However it was interesting to observe that nitrate reductase activity increased as the concentration of insecticide increases