Abstract
Background: Air and soil pollution are among the main concerns in urban areas worldwide, and dust and heavy metals are major contributors to environmental pollution. Lead (Pb) is a highly toxic heavy metal that badly affects human health as well as plant's survival and growth. Vegetation can play an important role in ameliorating the effects of these pollutants. Eucalyptus camaldulensis is well adapted and cultivated throughout a wide range of urban environments from temperate to tropical climates. Methods: A 90 days experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of lead (Pb) and dust pollution on the growth performance of young E. camaldulensis plants. Four months old seedlings were treated with a factorial combinations of Pb (0,10 and 20 mg/l applied in irrigation) and dust levels (0,5 and 10 g applied on foliage). Results: All morphological traits (root length, shoot length, stem diameter) and biomass (root and shoot, fresh and dry mass) of E. camaldulensis were significantly reduced when exposed to higher Pb and dust levels. The highest Pb treatments exhibited greater Pb accumulation in plant roots (23.54 ± 1.61 mg/kg), shoots (15.53 ± 1.98 mg/kg), and leaves (13.89 ± 1.49 mg/kg). Dust load on leaves was greater (72.78 ± 8.1 mg/cm2) for those treatments with higher dust and Pb additions compared to the control (16.11 ± 2.0 mg/cm2). Chlorophyll content was greater at the start of the experiment (68.78 ± 0.74 mg.g-1FW) and progressively decreased over time consistently with the increase of Pb and dust levels applied. Conclusions: The results of the experiment, suggest that E. camaldulensis could be successfully grown in minimum to moderate Pb and dust polluted urban environments.
Highlights
Eucalyptus camaldulensis is a fast-growing tree species that belongs to the Myrtaceae family
Plant growth Pb and dust treatments showed a significant impact on root length of E. camaldulensis (p = 0.003)
Seedlings of E. camaldulensis were grown outdoor in pots under contrasting Pb and dust levels
Summary
Eucalyptus camaldulensis is a fast-growing tree species that belongs to the Myrtaceae family. It is native to Australia and introduced in Pakistan It has high timber, firewood, paper production, and ornamental values. It can grow well up to 1027 m above sea level, air temperatures between 20 and 28oC, and rainfall between 600 and 2900 mm per year (Nawaz et al 2016). It has been cultivated in waterlogged areas to reclaim soils. For current polluted urban areas, fast-growing and environmentally friendly trees that can mitigate the effects of pollution are highly valued. Air and soil pollution are among the main concerns in urban areas worldwide, and dust and heavy metals are major contributors to environmental pollution. Eucalyptus camaldulensis is well adapted and cultivated throughout a wide range of urban environments from temperate to tropical climates
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