The identification of chemical substances which increase the efficiency of radiation is important to make easier the obtention of plants with structural chromosome aberrations which may be used in an alternative program for hybrid maize production. The present work was carried out to investigate the effect of the chemical substance metronidazole in maize seedlings submitted to gamma radiation. Several treatments were done, soaking the seeds in solutions with varied concentrations of the active substance combined with solution filtration and gamma radiation. On the third day of the experiment, germination percentage, root and stem lengths were evaluated. At a high concentration (1,250 mg/50 mL) metronidazole behaved as a radiosensibilizer in the presence of radiation. Even at a low concentration (250 mg/50 mL; 750 mg/50 mL) and in the absence of radiation, metronidazole behaved as toxic substance.
corn; Zea mays; gamma radiation; metronidazole
