In this paper the air pollution tolerance index (APTI) of twenty plant species near BPSL (Bhushan Power and Steel Ltd.) Rengali, Sambalpur were investigated. Screening of plants for their sensitivity/ tolerance level to air pollutants is important because the sensitive plants can serve as bio-indicator and the tolerant plants as sink for controlling air pollution in industrial areas. In order to evaluate the susceptibility level of plants to air pollutants, four parameters namely total chlorophyll, ascorbic acid, pH of leaf extract and relative water content were determined and computed to signify APTI . The results showed that at experimental plot the most tolerant species with respects to APTI are Mangifera indica, Calotropis procera, Lantana camara, and Dalbergia sisoo. The plant species like Eucalyptas citriodora, Ficus religiosa, Delonix regia, Ficus bengalnesis, Madhuca indica, Aegle marmelos, Liziphus julyuba, Ailanthus excels, Diospyros melanoxylon, Shorea robusta, Butea monosperma, Bombax ceiba, Azadirachta indica, Artocarpus heterophyllus are intermediately tolerant where as Buchania lanzan and Tabernaemontana divaricata where categorized as sensitive species. The same was recorded for plants of control plot but with a lower APTI value, except Bombax ceiba which was considered as sensitive species. The present study suggests that evaluation of plant tolerance and performance index might be very useful in selection of appropriate species for the development of green belt in the vicinity of industrial areas.Copy Right, IJAR, 2017,. All rights reserved. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………....
Introduction:-With the fast growing and excessive increase in industrialization, pollution is also increasing day by day. Plant species can be effectively used as filters for reducing air pollution and also as bio-indicators of urban air quality. Leaf is the plant part which is most sensitive and constantly exposed to air pollution. Plants absorb pollutants into their system, but they also have some tolerance limit and tend to show symptoms of damage after prolonged exposure. Based on the absorbing power and tolerance limit, plant can be categorized as highly tolerant, intermediate, sensitive and very sensitive species. This has been incorporated by scientists into a quantitative value of air pollution tolerance index (APTI), depending pH, Relative water content, Ascorbic acid content and chlorophyll content.Corresponding Author:-Sunanda Sahoo. Address:-School of Life Sciences, Sambalpur University, Jyoti Vihar-768019.
ISSN: 2320-5407Int. J. Adv. Res. 5(11), 599-607
600The particulate and gaseous pollutants alone and in combination can cause serious setbacks to the overall physiology of plants (Ashenden and Williams, 1980; Mejstrick, 1980;Anda, 1986). Regional impact of air pollution on local plant species is one of the major ecological issues. The climate condition, the physico -chemical properties of air pollutants and their residence time in the atmosphere have the impact on surrounding plants and animals. (...
