Leaf dust accumulation and its relationship with biochemical parameters of different plant species growing along national highway-22, India

Abstract

The present investigation was undertaken to study the dust interception efficiency of the plant species growing along National Highway-22 from Datiyar to Solan, India. The impact of dust deposition on selected plants and its correlation with various biochemical aspects of leaves such as ascorbic acid, leaf extract pH, total chlorophyll and relative water content was also studied. The dust accumulation pattern in various species was in the order Grewia optiva> Leuceana leucocephela> Casia fistula> Woodfordia fruticosa> Grewillea robusta> Toona ciliate. The highest amount of leaf dust 0.112 g m-2 was recorded in Grewia Optiva whereas, the lowest dust load of 0.008 g m-2 was recorded in Grewille robusta. The correlation studies showed a significant positive and negative correlation between dust deposition and biochemical parameters.