TAGT-v1: a proposed protocol for transgenerational cytogenotoxicity assessment in plant bioassays

While plant bioassays are widely used for acute genotoxicity, transgenerational effects are predominantly studied in animal models. A comprehensive literature review revealed a critical gap in plant-based transgenerational cytogenotoxicity studies. To bridge this gap, I propose the TAGT-v1 (Transgenerational Assessment of Genotoxicity in Plants, version 1) protocol as the first proposed standardized transgenerational plant bioassay framework. TAGT-v1 evaluates intergenerational genotoxic effects via seed-to-seed transfer (F0 → F1 → F2 → F3) following a single-point exposure in the F0 generation. The protocol employs short-life-cycle species (Hordeum vulgare, Rapid-cycling Brassica rapa, Brachypodium distachyon, and Arabidopsis thaliana) and excludes clonally reproducing models. Offering an ethical, cost-effective, and ecologically relevant alternative to animal testing, TAGT-v1 assesses both acute F0 effects and heritable genomic damage in the F3 generation-operationally defined as the first fully independent generation after F0 seed exposure, provided that chemical carry-over is excluded by LC-MS/MS. By overcoming the limitations of single-generation approaches, TAGT-v1 enables a more realistic evaluation of the long-term, population-level impacts of environmental pollutants. Future research will focus on the experimental validation of this protocol.