PJB-2024-62
ASHFAQ AHMAD
Abstract
Metal pollution is one of the major environment hazards contaminating water, soil and air globally. Major sources of metal pollution include industrial emissions, wastes and effluents, automobiles running on roads, application of fertilizers and pesticides, crop harvesting and storage processes etc. A study was conducted to explore comparative responses of eight plants species (four crop and wild plants each) to metal pollution caused by industries and road vehicular traffic. Crop plants species selected for the study were Zea mays (L.), Sorghum bicolor (L.), Oryza sativa (L.) and Brassica oleracea var. botrytis. While the wild plants species were Parthenium hysterophorus (L.), Calotropis procera (Aiton) W.T Aiton, Achyranthes aspera (L.) and Ricinus communis (L.). The area under study was Gujranwala division comprised of six districts namely; Gujranwala, Sialkot, Narowal, Gujrat, Mandi Bahaudin and Hafizabad. Metal pollution load index (PLI) was found in an order of Gujranwala>Gujrat>Sialkot>Hafizabad>MBD>Narowal. Gas exchange attributes of all plants under study were affected by heavy metal pollution with maximum reduction in most polluted district i.e. Gujranwala. Photosynthetic rate (A) and Transpiration (E) were reduced by 69.18% and 53.90%, respectively in A. aspera (maximum reduction among all wild and crop plants) at Gujranwala under vehicular metal pollution as compare to control. Water use efficiency and stomatal conductance were reduced maximum i.e. 37.20% in R. communis and 58.14% in Z.mays, respectively at Gujrat under vehicular metal pollution as compared to control. Inter celullar CO2 concentration (Ci) decreased in all plants except in B. olreacea with maximum value 167.5 umol/mol at Sialkot under roadside metal pollution.
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