Structural and Physiological Shift in Selected Roadway Flora Exposed to Air Pollution

IJEP 42(12): 1522-1527 : Vol. 42 Issue. 12 (December 2022)

K. Lekha*

PSG College of Arts and Science, Department of Botany (PG-UA), Coimbatore – 641 014, Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract

Air pollution has become a major environmental problem facing the world today due to rapid increase in industrialization and anthropogenic activity. Vast plant species are facing threats due to specific single pollutants or mixtures of pollutants. The present study recorded the structural and physiological parameters in roadside plants, such as Abutilon indica, Cassia auriculata and Morinda tinctoria selected from polluted and control sites. Results of anatomical study in plants (samples 1, 3 and 5) revealed an increase in the layers of epidermis, hypodermis, cortex and endodermis when compared to the plants collected from control site (samples 2, 4 and 6). The total chlorophyll content in the leaves (samples 1, 3 and 5) was found to be lower when compared to samples 2, 4 and 6. The relative water content was high in samples 2, 4 and 6. The highest pH value was recorded in sample 4 and the lowest pH value was observed in sample 1.

Keywords

Air pollution, Anatomy, Abutilon indica, Cassia auriculata, Morinda tinctoria, Saravanampatti

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