Accumulation of particles on the surface of leaves during leaf expansion

Plants can effectively remove airborne particles from ambient air and consequently improve air quality and human health. The accumulation of particles on the leaf surfaces of three plant species with different epicuticular wax ultrastructures, such as thin films, platelets and tubules, was investigated during leaf expansion in Beijing under extremely high particulate matter (PM) concentration. The accumulation of particles on the leaf surfaces after bud break rapidly reached a high amount within 4-7 days. Rainfall occasionally resulted in a considerable increase in the accumulation of particles on the leaf surfaces at a high PM concentration, which resulted from the wet deposition of PM, and balanced the amount of PM on the leaf surfaces over a longer period. The equilibrium value of the particle cover area on the adaxial leaf surface of the three test species in this study was 10%-50% compared with 3%-35% on the abaxial leaf surface. The epicuticular wax ultrastructures contributed significantly to the PM adsorption of the leaves. The capability of these ultrastructures to capture PM decreased in the following order: thin films, platelets and tubules. The ridges (at a scale of 1-2 μm) on the leaf surfaces were more efficient at accumulating PM, particularly PM2.5, compared with the roughness (P-V distance) at a 5-20-μm scale.