Impact of transport sector emissions on biochemical characteristics of plants and mitigation strategy in Pune, India

Abstract

The biochemical feedback for vehicular emissions by the roadside plant species, viz. Ficus religiosa, Ficus benghalensis, Tamarindus indica, Annona squamosa and Delonix regia have been documented in the paper. The results are compared with similar species at a non-polluted site in a nearby area having a similar soil-climate complex. The selected biochemical parameters concentration was lower in some plant species at the polluted site than those at the non-polluted site. In contrast, some plant species indicated higher concentrations in the polluted area. The calculated Air Pollution Tolerance Index (APTI) value showed that Delonix regia (37.28) and Annona squamosa (23.02) species were highly tolerant of air pollution. At the same time, Ficus religiosa (16.15), Ficus benghalensis (13.88) are intermediate, and Tamarindus indica (8.63) was sensitive to air pollution. It was observed that the Chlorophyll b content of the three species, namely, Tamarindus indica, Ficus benghalensis and Annona squamosa, classifies the polluted and non-polluted area with high significance (P≤0.007). Based on the results, the highly tolerant plant species can be identified. Planting such species alongside the roads may be suggested as part of a mitigation strategy. It is also noted that the chlorophyll b content can also be used as a marker or classifier to identify polluted or non-polluted areas.