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Detection of Histone Modifications in Plant Leaves
Published on: September 23, 2011
Biochemical changes in plant leaves as a biomarker of pollution due to anthropogenic activity
P R Thawale1, S Satheesh Babu, R R Wakode
1National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Nehru Marg, Nagpur 440 020, India. pr_thawale@neeri.res.in
Abstract:
The air pollution due to anthropogenic activities seriously affected human life, vegetation, and heritage as well. The vegetation cover in and around the city mitigates the air pollution by acting as a sink for pollution. An attempt was made to evaluate biochemical changes occurred in four selected plant species, namely Azadirachta indica, Mangifera indica, Delonix regia, and Cassia fistula of residential, commercial, and industrial areas of Nagpur city in India. It was observed that the correlated values of air pollutants and plant leaves characteristics alter foliar biochemical features (i.e., chlorophyll and ascorbic acid content, pH and relative water content) of plants due to air pollution. The changes in air pollution tolerance index of plants was also estimated which revealed that these plants can be used as a biomarker of air pollution.
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