Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) : A study on Efficacy of Malathion on Germination of Seed and Photosynthetic Pigments

Malathion is an important member of synthetic pesticide belonging to organophosphate class. It is still widely used worldwide as an effective pesticide. The chief aim of this research is to study the efficciancy of different concentration of malathion on germination of seed and to estimate the content of various photosynthetic pigments in wheat. The study was carried out by two separate method in petri-dish and in sterile soil in plastic sweetmeat container. Estimation of photosynthetic pigments were performed by T.L.C. and biospectrophotometer. Percentage germination and shoot length were enhanced at lower concentration (2ppm,-10ppm), but morphogenic response in soil declined significantly with increasing concentration of malathion resulting in much reduced photosynthetic pigments content.