DOI: 10.36347/sajb.2021.v09i03.005

Pages: 89-97

Since there is insufficient study about morphological and genetic alteration of acid rain using Allium cepa test; hence, this study was conducted. Sulfuric acid (H2SO4) was used to simulate acid rain. The two parameters were observed in six (6) treatments where in T1, served as negative control (distilled water at pH 7), followed by varying pH values of simulated sulfuric acid rain - T2 (pH 3.8), T3 (pH 4.08), T4 (pH 4.4), T5 (pH 4.63) and T6 (pH 5.32). To evaluate the morphological effects simulated sulfuric acid rain, number of root counts, percentage root growth and root length were considered. On the other, mitotic index, chromosomal index and chromosomal aberration were the focused of genetic alteration of simulated sulfuric acid rain. Thus, T1, as negative control, showed higher percentage root growth, longer root lengths, higher MI value and lower CI value, as compared to the rest of the treatments. On the other hand, T3 (using pH value of 4.08) had the lowest number of roots grown. T2 (using pH value of 3.80) showed lowest percentage root growth, shortest roots lengths, lowest MI value and highest CI value, as compared to the rest of the treatments. Moreover, there were nine (9) chromosomal aberration identified. And all of these were observed in T2. These CAs include sticky, laggard, bridge, and vagrant chromosomes, micronucleus, fragments, polyploidy, binucleate and nuclear lesions. But in T7, having the lowest frequency of aberrant cell, only sticky and vagrant chromosomes, fragments and polyploidy were the chromosomal aberrations observed in this treatment. It can be concluded that low pH values of simulated sulfuric acid did interfere with cell division and has genotoxicity effect on the cells as indicated by the morphological facet of the A. cepa roots. Thus, these results suggest that the lower pH value of simulated sulfuric acid rain, the more adverse morphological and genetic alteration effect to A. cepa.