Navjot Singh Kaler*1, S.K. Bhardwaj1 and Prabhat Tiwari1
1Dr Y.S. Parmar UHF Nauni, Solan- 173230 (H.P.), India
Email: kalernavjot8888@gmail.com
Received-04.02.2017, Revised-16.02.2017
Absract: Heavy metals contamination in plants due to air pollution is one of the major issues to be faced throughout the world and requires attention because heavy metals above their normal ranges are extremely threatened to both plant and animal life. Now a day’s increase in vehicular traffic on highways is a major threat to air quality as the pollution released from vehicles consisting high concentrations of heavy metals which seriously affects the nearby vegetation. As biomonitoring with plants is low-cost and valuable method for knowing the effect of different air and environment pollutants so the present study was carried to estimate levels of heavy metals in dust accumulated on leaves of selected plant species from Parwanoo to Solan on National Highway-22 falling in Solan district of Himachal Pradesh. The four species namely Grewia optiva, Toona ciliata, Melia azedarach and Woodfordia floribunda of uniform size, age, spread and common in occurrence on both sides of the highway were selected for the study. Concentrations of heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) were estimate in dust accumulated on leaves of selected plants and compare them with their normal permissible limit prescribed for soil. The dust accumulated on leaves had heavy metals, Cu (29.15 mg kg-1) and Zn (1219.92 mg kg-1) above permissible limit of the soil. The study provided a reliable method for screening heavy metals concentration in dust deposited on leaves of plants nearby roads where the air-shed is contaminated by a variety of pollutants due to vehicular emissions.
Keywords: National highway-22, Leaf dust, Heavy Metals, Solan
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