Allium cepa and Tradescantia pallida bioassays to evaluate effects of the insecticide imidacloprid

The indiscriminate use of pesticides has become a serious environmental concern. Of them, imidacloprid (IMI) is one of the most widely used worldwide. In 2010 in Brazil, 1.934 tonnes of IMI were sold and mainly used for sugarcane crops. Several studies have examined the toxicity of IMI as well as its possible ecological effects. However, few studies have examined its toxicity at the genetic level. This is one of the biggest challenges for the scientific community, which is concerned about the impacts of these contaminants on the environment and human health. In this study, we evaluated the effects of IMI above the genetic material in Allium cepa and Tradescantia pallida following exposure to different concentrations of this insecticide. The results demonstrated that the concentrations tested induced chromosomal alterations and increased the frequency of micronuclei. Therefore, IMI in these concentrations was genotoxic to the tested organisms. These factors should be taken into account when applying this pesticide.