Mutagenicity of ground water (in the bore-holes) in Ararat Valley (Armenia) detected by Trad-SHM bioassay

The genotoxicity of ground water from four bore-holes of different depths (40–120m) in the Ararat valley (Armenia) used both for drinking and irrigation was investigated. The frequency of recessive somatic mutations was determined using the Tradescantia-stamen-hair-mutation (Trad-SHM) test. The Tradescantia clone 02 was used. The pink mutation events (PMEs) were increased by 3.18–6.81-fold in comparison with the control depending both on the depth of subterranean water location and the increase of Na+ ion concentration in these water samples. The peak frequency was found in water from the 40–45m depth. The deeper the bore-holes, the lower the mutagenicity of water and the concentration of Na+ ions. Different types of mutant sector arrangements and their frequencies changed depending on the subterranean water depth.