Effects of selected herbicides and insecticides on the mortality of Aphanius dispar richardsoni and on its glutathione s-transferase activity

Abstract EN

Aphanius dispar richardsoni (Boulenger.

1907) bioassays showed an increase in the mortality of the fish when atrazine, diazinon.

oxadiazolone and dichloro-diphenyl tri- chloro-ethane (DDT) were thoroughly mixed with the aquaria water over a wide range of concentrations.

After 144 hours of exposure, the 50% level of mortality was ob¬served at concentrations of 40 and 50 part per million ( ppm ) for diazinon and DDT respectively, while higher concentrations were needed in case atrazine.

The effects of the studied herbicides and insecticides on the fish were concentration and time dependent.

Addition of 45 ppm diazinon to the fish culture lead to a prompt increase (more than 230% of control) in glutathione s-transferase activity in the 37000 x g supernatant prepared from the whole fish body.

Similarly, addition of 45 and 35 ppm oxadiazolone and atrazine caused 140 and 137% increase in the enzyme activity