Analysis of Tree Vegetation in Relation to Vehicular Pollution in Srinagar City of Kashmir Valley

Abstract

The present study analyses the impact of vehicular pollution on five dominant trees at three different polluted sites of Srinagar city Kashmir Valley. Data indicates that the various physiological parameters viz. Chlorophyll-a, chlorophyll-b, total chlorophyll, NPK contents, and carbohydrate level of tree foliage suffered heavy reductions due to pollution stress. The data also indicates that higher per cent reductions were recorded in the foliar samples collected from the tree species growing at Athwajan experiencing a suspended particulate matter (SPM) load of 651 mg/m-3 and Nox concentration of 42 mg/mg-3. The per cent reductions with respect to control are, however, minimum at other sites like Tourist Reception Center (TRC) and Iddghah which are comparatively less polluted. Among the various trees species Platinus orientalis suffered lesser reductions followed by Ailanthus altissima, Salix alba, Ulmus wallichiana and Celtis australis.