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Pak. J. Bot., 46(3): 869-873, 2014.

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  Updated: 05-06-14

 

 

ALSTONIA SCHOLARIS (L.) R.Br.- PLANTED BIOINDICATOR ALONG DIFFERENT ROAD-SIDES OF LAHORE CITY

 

SOHAIB MUHAMMAD1*, ZAHEER-UD-DIN KHAN1, AYESHA ZAHEER2, MUHAMMAD FAHEEM SIDDIQUI3*, MUHAMMAD FAISAL MASOOD4 AND ATTA MUHAMMAD SARANGZAI5

 

Abstract: A research work was carried out during 2009-2011 to investigate the biomonitoring potential of a road avenue tree, Alstonia scholaris (L.) R.Br. against the culminating pressure of aerial pollution in Lahore city. For this purpose seven busiest roads were selected on the basis of the flux of traffic and three leaf samples were taken for various biochemical and physiological attributes from each of the A. scholaris tree of respective road. The geographic coordinates on the map can be used for future reference. Various floral attributes of plant were selected i.e., amount of dust (g), percent (%) leaf moisture content, photosynthetic rate (μMm-2S-1), transpiration rate (μMm-2S-1), stomatal conductance (mMm-2S-1), chlorophyll contents (mg/g) and amount of carotenoids (mg/g) in the leaf samples. In case of % leaf moisture content, significant variation between the control (61.95) and road side plants (50.76) was observed. While minute differences between the control and road side plants were recorded in photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, chlorophyll contents and carotenoids, which is an indication that day by day increasing air pollution pressure in Lahore city is playing pivotal role, not only in the morphological features of the plant but also affecting the physiological and biochemical
 


1Department of Botany, 2Sustainable Development Study Center, GC University, Lahore, Pakistan (54000)

3Department of Botany, University of Karachi, Karachi-75300, Pakistan

4Forest GIS Laboratory, Lahore, Pakistan

5Department of Botany, University of Baluchistan, Quetta-Pakistan

*Corresponding e-mail: sohaibs1983@gmail.com; mfsiddiqui2011@yahoo.com


   
   

 

   
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