Abstract
With rapid increase in urbanization followed by industrialization compounded due to ever-exploding population in the past few decades there is a steep rise in contamination of one of the most vital abiotic factors of the environment i.e., the air. In these circumstances, the clean and green measures to monitor and control air pollution have become inevitable. Air Pollution Tolerance Index (APTI) is one such index for indicating the extent of the plants to withstand air pollution. This includes analysis of physiological and biochemical parameters like total chlorophyll content, ascorbic acid content, pH of the leaf extract and relative water content of the leaves. In this study, the plants selected are mature tree species like Polyalthia longifolia, Putranjiva roxburghii, Alstonia scholaris, Delonix regia and Peltophorum pterocarpum from Mumbai and its surrounding regions. According to the Air Pollution Tolerance Index (APTI) values, plants can be classified as tolerant, intermediate, sensitive and highly sensitive. The tolerance of the plants studied in the decreasing order is as follows P. roxburghii > P. pterocarpum > D. regia > P. longifolia > A. scholaris. Species selected on the basis of their APTI values can then be used as bio-indicators of air pollution and in its mitigation for green belt development in urban areas.
Highlights
In modern world, pollution has become the biggest enemy for the survival of the living organisms
Air pollution is the one which is increasing at an alarming rate due to rapid industrialization and urbanization and excessive use of automobiles resulting in the rapid decline in air quality contributed mainly by emissions of air pollutants like Sulphur dioxide (SO2), Nitrogen oxides (NOx), Carbon monoxide (CO) and Particulate matter
Plants showing total chlorophyll content in their decreasing order is as follows P. roxburghii > P. longifolia > D. regia > P. pterocarpum > A. scholaris (Fig.1)
Summary
Pollution has become the biggest enemy for the survival of the living organisms. The plants in polluted areas show many changes in their morphology and metabolism like changes in concentration of chlorophyll, ascorbic acid, proteins, phenols and other metabolites, chlorosis, necrosis, and other types of injuries on leaf and other parts of the plant. This is the result of absorption of harmful gaseous pollutants like SO2, CO, CO2, NOx, through leaf stomata vegetation provides large surface area for deposition of dust and particulate matter [2]. This shows that plant helps to take-up the pollutants from the atmosphere and mitigates air pollution
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