Keywords
How to Cite
Abstract
The study was conducted in three different sites i.e. Bhatti chowk, vicinity of University of Sargodha and Bhagtawala to evaluate the effect of urban pollution on three plant species i.e. Azadirachta indica (Neem), Aloe barbadensis miller (Aloe vera) and Vachellia nilotica (Kikar). Biochemical parameters e.g. proline contents, lipid peroxidation and Anti-oxidants such as CAT, SOD and POD along with physiological attributes e.g. chlorophyll contents and relative water contents (RWC) of plant species were studied and compared with each other and also with control site to analyze the impact of pollution. The variations in the properties of selected plants were also compared to find the impact of pollution. Three replicates were selected from each site and were statistically analyzed by one-way ANOVA. Analyses such as Correlation and regression were also performed to assess the relationship between pollution level and plant responses. It was concluded that all plant species showed negative correlation between pollution level and chlorophyll contents/RWC while showed positive correlation between pollution level and Proline, MDA, SOD, CAT and POD. Vachellia nilotica was found to be the most sensitive to pollution and showed elevated levels of Proline and MDA. Azadirachta indica was resilient plant specie as it maintained comparative amount of chlorophyll and water contents. Aloe barbadensis miller was having good water retention ability suggesting it moderate tolerant plant species.