Assessment of Air Pollution Tolerance Index (APTI) and Anticipated Performance Index (API) of selected Roadside plant species for the Green Belt Development at Ratnagiri City in the Konkan Region of Maharashtra, India

Abstract

Small towns are becoming hotspots of pollution due to industrial, urbanisation, and domestic activities. Air pollution affects human health and it is also, responsible for physiological changes in plants. Green belt development programmes are cost-effective for the minimisation of air pollution. In the present study, to calculate air pollution tolerance index (APTI) and anticipated performance index (API), samples of 25 plant species were collected from each area i.e. the Industrial (I), Urban (U), and Rural (R) areas and analysed for different parameters. Amongst all three areas, APTI of Artocarpus-heterophyllus (46.74), Calotropis gigantea (43.63), and Bauhinia racemose (42.11) have shown the highest values and these plants can act as an inhibitor of air pollution. Also, the APTI of Ocimum tenuiflorum has found to be the lowest (12.05, 11.32, 12.86) as compared to other plant species among the three areas. Statistical analysis reveals that values of R2 are consistent in case of Total Chlorophyll (TC) and Ascorbic Acid (AA). API index showed the efficiency of Calotropis gigantea (excellent), Artocarpus-heterophyllus (very good), and Mangifera Indica (very good) for the green belt development around the selected areas. It is recommended to plant above mentioned plant species along the roadside by considering their air pollution tolerance ability and medicinal as well as economic importance. Further, it is suggested to plant species of Artocarpus-heterophyllus (Jackfruit) and Mangifera Indica (Alphonso Mango) which will generate income source for the local government bodies (Ratnagiri Municipal Council), as the fruits and wood of these plants can be exported and sold.