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The Pharma Innovation Journal 2017; 6(12): 500-504
ISSN (E): 2277- 7695
ISSN (P): 2349-8242
NAAS Rating 2017: 5.03
TPI 2017; 6(12): 500-504
© 2017 TPI
www.thepharmajournal.com
Received: 10-10-2017
Accepted: 11-11-2017
Shweta Tiwari
Assistant Professor & Head,
Department of Seed Technology
Shri Jain Diwakar College,
Indore, M.P., India
Jai Prakash Gupta
Assistant Professor, Department
of Seed Technology Shri Jain
Diwakar College, Indore, M.P.,
India
Ashish Singh
Research Scholar, Narendra
Deva University of Agriculture
& Technology Kumarganj,
Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
Correspondence
Shweta Tiwari
Assistant Professor & Head,
Department of Seed Technology
Shri Jain Diwakar College,
Indore, M.P., India
Foliar response of two species of heavy air pollution
load at Indore city
Shweta Tiwari, Jai Prakash Gupta and Ashish Singh
Abstract
Plants are constantly exposed to air, they absorb, accumulate and integrate pollutants confining on their
foliar surfaces and show specific response too. The use of plants as monitors of air pollution has long
been established, as plants are the initial acceptors of air pollution. Present study was carried out to find
out the effect of air pollutants on morphology, physiology and biochemistry of Bauhinia Purpurea Lamk.
and Eucalyptus Citriodora var. Maculata Hook. growing at two different sites of Indore city viz. Scheme
No. 78 (Site-I), considered as Low Polluted Area (LPA), in this area there is very low traffic frequency
and industries are absent and MR-10 (Site-II) which is Major Road No. 10 of Indore city. There are large
number of Industries and heavy traffic frequency in this area, so it is considered as a polluted area. The
two species growing at polluted site showed reduction in size of leaf, number of stomata and leaf
biomass. Variations in biochemical parameters like chlorophyll in the leaves were found to be pollution
load dependent.
Keywords: Air pollution, Low polluted area (LPA), Heavy polluted area (HPA), Foliar morphology
Introduction
Pollution has posed a very vital question for our survival as we are continuously altering the
environment to satisfy our needs. Unplanned industrialization, faster means of transportation,
urbanization and ruthless exploitation of natural resources have caused severe environmental
crisis by polluting air, water and soil.
Air pollution on morphology, physiology and biochemistry of plants. Leaf is the plant part
which is most sensitive and constantly exposed to air pollution. The pollution indicator value
of the leaf has been studied by a large number of workers.1
Air pollution leads to reduction in plant growth and yield resulting in great damage to
economic crops all over the world. Air pollutants adversely affect the plant. Different plant
species react differently when exposed to air pollution. Plants provide an enormous leaf area
for impingement, adsorption and accumulation of air pollutants. Plants are efficient
bioindicators of the type and load of pollution in an area and can be used as a convenient
source for environmental monitoring. Air pollution may lead to blocked stomata, increased
leaf temperature, reduced photosynthesis, fruit setting, leaf growth, pollen growth and tree
growth, leaf necrosis, chlorosis and bark peeling in plants.
Air pollution is one of the most severe environmental problems of the world today. Clean air is
a mixture of gases such as 78% Nitrogen, 21% Oxygen, 1% Argon, 0.03% Carbon dioxide,
very minor traces of helium, methane, krypton and 1.3% of water vapours by volume. Any rise
in its component is considered as a kind of air pollution which may have widespread
ecological implication on global scale.
Air pollution is influenced by four major factors, namely industrialized expansion of the cities,
increase in traffic, rapid economic development and higher level of energy consumption. The
atmosphere is a dynamic system that continuously absorbs a wide range of solids, liquids and
gases. These substances travel through air, disperse and react with one another both physically
and chemically. When their rate of formation is faster than rate of dispersion, they enter into
the atmosphere and accumulate in air causing environmental decay. The combustion of fuels
add substantial quantities of oxides of nitrogen and sulphur into atmosphere. These primary
pollutants react photo chemically in the atmosphere forming Ozone, Peroxy Acetyl Nitrate
(PAN) and acid rain as by product. This creates ecotoxic effects on terrestrial and aquatic flora
and fauna, especially on endangered species and sensitive ecosystems.
To know the impact of air pollution on these plant Species various parameters were studied.
These were Fresh weight, Dry weight, L/B ratio, Specific Leaf Area, Stomatal Size,