Effect of dustfall pollution on chlorophyl content of polyalthea longifolia leaves

Abstract

Dust has a size of 0.001 - 10000 µm. Dust from motor vehicle exhaust emissions generally has a size of 1 - 150 µm, and flying dust due to vehicle traffic has a size of 100 µm. This dust when it falls on the leaves will cover the stomata. The length of stomata is 80 µm and a maximum width of 50 µm, which is smaller than the size of the dust. As a result, the stomata will be covered by dust, and the leaves cannot absorb CO2, an important ingredient in photosynthesis. The leaf samples used in this study were Polyalthea Longifolia leaves located near the highway, around the cement factory, and in plantations as a control. Then, the leaves were measured for the content of total chlorophyll using the Wintermans and de Mots equation, and mineral content using X-ray Fluorencence (XRF). The results showed that the leaves around the cement factory had a yellow color, small, lower chlorophyll content, and had low absorptivity on minerals than the leaves from near the highway and control.