PHYTOTOXIC EFFECTS OF SIX SURFACTANTS ON Allium cepa L. PLANTLETS

In this study, the effects of two anionic surfactants, sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (DBSNa) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), one meric and one dimeric cationic surfactant, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and gemini surfactant (16-2-16), and two non-ionic surfactants, polyoxyethylene tert-octylphenyl ether (Triton X-100) and polyoxyethylene (23) lauryl ether (Brij 35) were evaluated under laboratory conditions using onions (A Ilium cepa L.) as test material. The phytotoxic effects of surfactant solutions were observed. The phytotoxic effects on roots were determined by measuring root elongations of onions for each day in a week under laboratory conditions at 16.0 +/- 0.5 degrees C, after treated them by different surfactants. All surfactants used in this study were tested at three different concentrations, 5.00, 2.50 and 1.25 g/L (w/v), and some differences were observed between the effects of them. The phytotoxic effects were observed on onions which treated by anionic, cationic surfactants and nonionic surfactant Triton X-100. Stimulatory effects only occurred on onions treated by Brij 35 while inhibitory effects were observed on onions treated by all concentrations of Triton X-100. It was observed that inhibitory effects increased with increasing concentrations of Triton X-100.