Ability of Wayside Trees as Pb Absorbent on Jl Jenderal Soedirman Purwokerto

Abstract

Air pollution can be determined by using plants as a bioindicator. The purposes of this research were 1) to determine the ambient air Pb concentration and Pb concentration in some leaves of wayside trees on Jl Jenderal Soedirman Purwokerto, 2) to find out the stomata characteristics i.e. size and density of stomata related to their ability to absorb Pb. The research method used was the survey method. The wayside tree leaf samples were taken with purposive sampling. The variables used in the research include variables such as aerial Pb and Pb concentrations of leaves, while the dependent variable was anatomical responses. The main parameters observed in the form of air Pb concentrations, Pb in leaf and stomata anatomical characters. The support parameters are traffic density. The results of this study showed that the concentration of Pb in Jl Jenderal Sudirman within 1 hour is 0.0147 μg/m³. Pb concentration was the highest in the leaves of Schima wallichii (0.3524 ppm), and the lowest was in Hibiscus tiliaceus (0.2354 ppm). Pb accumulated in the leaves caused a very significant effect on the density, length, and width of the leaf stomata of shade plant on Purwokerto’s Jenderal Sudirman Road. Pb concentration in leaves positively correlated with the density, length, and width of stomata (p<0.05).