Carbaryl effects on growth and development in suspension cultures of wild carrot.

Carbaryl has been demonstrated to inhibit growth of carrot suspension cultures at 10 and 20 ppm. The specific activities of RNA and protein increased at 20 ppm. Total RNA was relatively unchanged at any concentration while total protein was reduced considerably at 20 ppm. Embryo development was inhibited by increasing concentrations of carbaryl. Thin layer chromatography indicated considerable degradation of carbaryl to 1-naphthol. When 1-naphthol was tested in this system it was shown to elicit the same inhibitory effects on growth as carbaryl, suggesting that the 1-naphthol residue is itself a potent inhibitor of tissue growth and development.