* Corresponding author: Imtiaz Ahmed , DST, Sponsored Fish Nutrition Resaerch Laboratory Department of Zoology, University of Kashmir, Hazratbal, Srinagar 190006, India ISSN: 0976-3031 RESEARCH ARTICLE EFFECTS OF PESTICIDE MONOCROTOPHOS (ORGANOPHOSPHATE), ON THE GONADAL DEVELOPMENT OF FEMALE FRESHWATER MURREL, CHANNA PUNCTATUS (BLOCH) Amir Maqbool and Imtiaz Ahmed* Department of Zoology, University of Kashmir, Hazratbal, Srinagar, India ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT The effects of pesticide monocrotophos (organophosphate), on the ovaries of freshwater murrel, Channa punctatus were studied. Exposures for 15 and 45 days with histological preparations at 1 ml L -1 , and 2 ml L -1 sublethal concentrations along with control were examined. Pre spawned 10 fish (47.85±0.75gm; 17.80 ± 0.50cm) were randomly stocked in 50 L aquarium in triplicate groups for each treatment levels. The effects of monocrotophs were analysed after 15 and 45 days of exposure, respectively. The control contained an abundance of the different stages of oocytes (Oocytes I, II, III, and IV) and had an intact ovigerous lamellae and follicular lining. The control also contained a thick and complete ovarian wall with evident previtelline and euvitelline nucleoli. After 15 days of exposure the gonado somatic index (GSI) significantly (P<0.05) decreased in the two exposure concentration, where the maximum decrease in both GSI and ovary was observed at higher concentration i.e. 2 ml L -1 compared with control. Decreased vitellogenesis and oocyte atresia was also observed at higher concentration. While after 45 days of exposure a significant (P<0.05) increase in oocyte atresia and decreased vitellogenises was recorded with clear indication of vacuolization and tissue necrosis. On the basis of the above finding it is concluded that widely used organophosphate monocrotophos in agriculture has produced significant toxic effects on gonodal development of Channa punctatus. . INTRODUCTION The biological and environment persistence of organochlorine pesticides have led to the extensive use of less persistent, easily biodegradable organophosphates (Ahmad et al., 1987; Siddiqui et al., 1991). Although organophosphate insecticides tend to undergo fairly rapid degradation in the environment, however organisms may be exposed to sub-lethal concentrations of the pesticide for an extended period (Agrahari & Gopal, 2008). This poses a great danger to freshwater organisms including fishes. There are many pathways by which insecticides leave their sites of application and distribute throughout the environment and enter the aquatic ecosystem. Most insecticides ultimately find their way into rivers, lakes and ponds (Tarahi Tabrizi, 2001; Honarpajouh, 2003; Bagheri, 2007; Shayeghi et al ., 2007; Vryzas et al., 2009; Werimo et al., 2009; Arjmandi et al., 2010) and have been found to be highly toxic to non-target organisms that inhabit natural environments close to agricultural fields. During the past few decades, the extensive use of pesticides has increased manifolds worldwide in order to protect crops, stored grains and human beings from pests and also to prevent certain diseases such as malaria, plague, sleeping sickness, etc spread due to insect vectors. Among pesticides, monocrotophos [dimethyl (E)-1- methyl-2-(methyl carbamoyl) vinyl phosphate, MCP], commonly known as Azodrin, is an important broad spectrum systemic organophosphate pesticide, extensively used in agriculture for protection of variety of crops, such as cotton, rice, and sugarcane. It is used to control a wide spectrum of chewing, sucking and boring insects (aphids, caterpillars, Helicoverpa spp, mites, moths, jassids, budworm, scale, stem borer as well as locusts, and it is usually sprayed aerially. During the spray operations, this pesticide may drift near rivers and ponds creating the potential for exposure on the aquatic organisms to monocrotophos (Rao, 2004 and Ferrando et al., 1992). Monocrotophos is classified as a highly hazardous pesticide (WHO, 2004), and also including in Rotterdam convention on the prior informed consent procedure for certain hazardous chemicals and pesticides in international trade. The importance of pesticides in India can be understood from the fact that agriculture is a major component of the Indian economy: it contributes 22% of the nation’s GDP and is the livelihood of nearly 70% the country’s workforce (WHO, 2009). Monocrotophos use is currently banned or severely restricted in many countries, including all EU members. However, it is still extensively used in agriculture in developing countries such as China, Pakistan and Kuwait. In India, monocrotophos while mainly applied against cotton pests, it is also used on rice, castor, citrus, olives, rice, maize, sorghum, sugar cane, sugar beet, peanuts, potatoes, soybeans, cabbage, onion and pepper ornamentals and tobacco. Generally most aquatic animals including fishes respire through there gills and sometimes with the help of skin. These respiratory organs frequently encounter hazardous pollutants which are present in water in different forms and these pollutants may lead to the alteration in the normal area which causes the reduction in oxygen consumption and physiological imbalance in the organism. Although, many workers in the past have reported the effects of pesticides on Available Online at http:/ / www.recentscientific.com International Journal of Recent Scientific Research International Journal of Recent Scientific Research Vol. 4, Issue, 10, pp.1454-1458, October, 2013 Article History: Received 15 th , September, 2013 Received in revised form 25 th , September, 2013 Accepted 11 th , October, 2013 Published online 28 th October, 2013 © Copy Right, IJRSR, 2013, Academic Journals. All rights reserved. Key words: Pesticide monocrotophos Channa punctatus gonadal development