Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

An integrated approach considering physiological- and biophysical-based indicators for assessing tolerance of roadside plantations of Alstonia scholaris towards urban roadside air pollution: an assessment of adaptation of plantations for mitigating roadside air pollution

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Trees Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Key message

An integrated approach of physiological- and biophysical-based indicators was used to assess the tolerance of roadside plantations of Alstonia scholaris towards urban roadside air pollution caused due to heavy traffic movements. It was inferred that A. scholaris is a tolerant species to vehicular emissions and can be used to develop roadside plantations and other green spaces in an urban setup.

Abstract

Vehicles are a significant source of pollution affecting the urban environment. Roadside plantations are one of the first defense lines to minimize the impacts of air pollution; at the same time, they also suffer from the adverse effects of pollution. In the present study, an integrated approach, i.e., a combination of physiological, morphological, and biochemical indicators, was used to evaluate the tolerance of roadside plantations of A. scholaris exposed to road traffic emissions. Multiple indicator traits of adaptation and mitigation, especially biophysical (leaf thickness—LTh, dust load flux—DLF, and local cooling created by canopy—CI), physiological (CO2 assimilation rate—A, transpiration—E, stomatal conductance-gs, water use efficiency—WUE, and relative water content—RWC), and biochemical (proline—PROL, soluble sugars—SoS, ascorbic acid—AsA, leaf pH, and total chlorophyll—TChl, accumulation of heavy metals—Fe, Pb, Cd, Cr, and Cu) were used for evaluating the response to air pollutants. Besides, tolerance indices, i.e., air pollution tolerance index (APTI) and anticipated performance index (API), were developed to assess the species suitability for mitigating urban air pollution. It was observed that vehicular emissions modulate the measured functional traits in this species. Plants exposed to the polluted environment have increased LTh, DLF, CI, WUE, PROL, AsA, pH, SoS, heavy metals, while a decrease in the level of A, E, Gs, TChl, and RWC was reported. Further, it was inferred that A. scholaris is a tolerant species and can be suggested for roadside plantations to mitigate vehicular air pollution. The present study is expected to assist the evaluation of other species for adaptation and mitigation of vehicular emissions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abdel-Aziz D, Al-Kurdi N (2014) Estimating the effect of urban trees on summertime electricity use and air quality improvement in urban areas—Amman as a case study. J Environ Earth Sci 4:37–47

    Google Scholar 

  • Allen SE, Grimshaw HM, Rowland AP (1986) Chemical analysis. In: Moore PD, Chapman SB (eds) Methods in plant ecology. Blackwell Scientific, Oxford, pp 285–344

    Google Scholar 

  • Bates LS, Waldron RP, Teare ID (1973) Rapid determination of free proline for water stress studies. Plant Soil 39:205–208

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Beckett KP, Freer-Smith P, Taylor G (1998) Urban woodlands: their role in reducing the effects of particulate pollution. Environ Pollut 99:347–360

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Benavides MP, Gallego SM, Tomaro ML (2005) Cadmium toxicity in plants. Braz J Plant Physiol 17:21–34

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bonanno G, Cirelli GL (2017) Comparative analysis of element concentrations and translocation in three wetland congener plants: Typha domingensis, Typha latifolia and Typha angustifolia. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 143:92–101

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Calfapietra C, Penuelas J, Niinemets U (2015) Urban plant physiology: adaptation–mitigation strategies under permanent stress. Trends Plant Sci 20:72–75

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chaturvedi AK, Bahuguna RN, Di S, Pal M, Jagadish SVK (2017) High temperature stress during flowering and grain filling offsets beneficial impact of elevated CO2 on assimilate partitioning and sink-strength in rice. Sci Rep 7:1–13

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chaudhary IJ, Rathore D (2019) Dust pollution: Its removal and effect on foliage physiology of urban trees. Sustain Cities Soc 51:101696

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chauhan A (2010) Photosynthetic pigment changes in some selected trees induced by automobile exhaust in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. N Y Sci J 3:45–51

    Google Scholar 

  • Chauhan A, Sanjeev (2008) Impact of dust pollution on photosynthetic pigments of some selected trees grown at nearby of stone-crushers. Environ Conserv J 9:11–13

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chaulya SK, Chakarborty MK, Singh RS (2001) Air pollution modelling for a proposed limestone quarry. Water Air Soil Pollut 126:171–191

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Das S, Prasad P (2010) Seasonal variation in air pollution tolerance indices and selection of plant species for industrial areas of Rourkela. Indian J Environ Prot 30:978–988

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dhir B (2016) Air pollutants and photosynthetic efficiency of plants. Plant responses to air pollution. Springer, Singapore, pp 71–84

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Dobrá J, Vanková R, Havlová M, Burman AJ, Libus J, Storchová H (2011) Tobacco leaves and roots differ in the expression of proline metabolism-related genes in the course of drought stress and subsequent recovery. J Plant Physiol 168:1588–1597. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jplph.2011.02.009

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Doganlar ZB, Doganlar O, Erdogan S, Onal Y (2012) Heavy metal pollution and physiological changes in the leaves of some shrub, palm and tree species in urban areas of Adana, Turkey. Chem Speciat Bioavailab 24:65–78. https://doi.org/10.3184/095422912X13338055043100

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dubois M, Gilles KA, Hamilton JK, Rebers PA, Smith F (1956) A colorimetric method for the determination of sugars and related substances. Anal Chem 28:350–356

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Emberson L, Ashmore M, Murray F, Kuylenstierna JCI, Percy KE, Izuta T, Zheng Y, Shimizu H, Sheu BH, Liu J, Agrawal M, Wahid A, Abdel-Latif NM, van Tienhove M, de Bauer LI, Domingos M (2001) Impacts of air pollutants on vegetation in developing countries. Water Air Soil Pollut 130:107–118

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Garbisu C, Allica JH, Barrutia O, Alkorta I, Becerril JM (2002) Phytoremediation: a technology using green plants to remove contaminants from polluted areas. Rev Environ Health 17(3):173–188

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Geravandia M, Farshadfara E, Kahrizi D (2011) Evaluation of some physiological traits as indicators of drought tolerance in bread wheat genotypes. Russ J Plant Physiol 58:69–75

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gupta S, Bhattacharya D, Datta JK, Nayek S, Satpati S (2009) Effects of vehicular emissions on biochemical constituents of leaves. Pollut Res 28:157–160

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gupta S, Nayek S, Bhattacharya P (2011) Effect of airborne heavy metals on the biochemical signature of tree species in an industrial region, with an emphasis on anticipated performance index. Chem Ecol 27:381–392. https://doi.org/10.1080/02757540.2011.561791

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gupta GP, Kumar B, Kulshrestha UC (2016) Impact and pollution indices of urban dust on selected plant species for green belt development: mitigation of the air pollution in NCR Delhi. Indian Arab J Geosci 9:136. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-015-2226-4

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gupta SK, Ram J, Singh H (2018) Comparative study of transpiration in cooling effect of tree species in the atmosphere. J Geosci Environ Prot 6:151–166

    Google Scholar 

  • Hiscox JD, Isralesham GF (1979) A method for extraction of chlorophyll from leaf tissue without maceration. Can J Bot 57:1332–1334

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hosseini NS, Sobhanardakani S, Cheraghi M, Lorestani B, Merrikhpour H (2020) Heavy metal concentrations in roadside plants (Achillea wilhelmsii and Cardaria draba) and soils along some highways in Hamedan, west of Iran. Environ Sci Pollut Res 27:13301–13314

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hummel I, Pantin F, Sulpice R, Piques M, Rolland G, Dauzat M (2010) Arabidopsis plants acclimate to water deficit at low cost through changes of carbon usage: an integrated perspective using growth, metabolite, enzyme, and gene expression analysis. Plant Physiol 154:357–372. https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.110.157008

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Jackson ML (1965) Soil chemical analysis. Prentice Hall Inc., Englewood Cliffs (Biotech 7:61 Page 9 of 1061)

  • Jiang Y, Chao S, Liu J, Yang Y, Chen Y, Zhang A, Cao H (2017) Source apportionment and health risk assessment of heavy metals in soil for a township in Jiangsu Province, China. Chemosphere 168:1658–1668

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jim CY, Chen WY (2008) Assessing the ecosystem service of air pollutant removal by urban trees in Guangzhou (China). J Environ Manag 88(4):665–676

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Joshi PC, Swami A (2009) Air pollution induced changes in the photosynthetic pigments of selected plant species. J Environ Biol 30:295–298

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jyothi SJ, Jaya DS (2010) Evaluation of air pollution tolerance index of selected plant species along roadsides in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. J Environ Biol 31:379–386

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kardela F, Wuytsa K, Babanezhad M, Wuytack T, Adriaenssens S, Samsona R (2012) Tree leaf wettability as passive bio-indicator of urban habitat quality. Environ Exp Bot 75:277–285

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaur M, Nagpal AK (2017) Evaluation of air pollution tolerance index and anticipated performance index of plants and their application in development of green space along the urban areas. Environ Sci Pollut Res. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-9500-9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keller T, Schwager H (1977) Air pollution and ascorbic acid. Eur J for Pathol 7:338–350

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Khalid N, Hussain M, Young HS, Boyce B, Aqeel M, Noman A (2018) Effects of road proximity on heavy metal concentrations in soils and common roadside plants in Southern California. Environ Sci Pollut Res 25(35):35257–35265

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kishore GK, Pande S, Podile AR (2005) Biological control of late leaf spot of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) with chitinolytic bacteria. Phytopathology 95:1157–1165. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-95-1157

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kumar A, Kumar HP, Kumar SN (2021) Adaptation and mitigation potential of roadside trees with bio-extraction of heavy metals under vehicular emissions and their impact on physiological traits during seasonal regimes. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 58126900. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2020.126900

  • Kumar N, Suyal DC, Sharma IP, Verma A, Singh H (2017) Elucidating stress proteins in rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotype under elevated temperature: a proteomic approach to understand heat stress response. 3 Biotech 7:205

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Kumar N, Jeena N, Singh H (2019) Elevated temperature modulates rice pollen structure: a study from foothill Himalayan Agro-ecosystem in India. 3Biotech 9:175. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13205-019-1700-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kummer U, Pacyna J, Pacyna E, Friedrich R (2009) Assessment of heavy metal releases from the use phase of road transport in Europe. Atmos Environ 43:640

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lema MW, Ijumba JN, Njau KN, Ndakidemi PA (2014) Environmental contamination by radionuclides and heavy metals through the application of phosphate rocks during farming and mathematical modeling of their impacts to the ecosystem. Int J Eng Res Gen Sci 2:2091–2730

    Google Scholar 

  • Lin BS, Lin YJ (2010) Cooling effect of shade trees with different characteristics in a subtropical Urban Park. Hortic Sci 45:83–86

    Google Scholar 

  • Locosselli GM, de Camargo EP, Moreira TCL, Todesco E, de Fátima AM, de André CDS, de André PA, Singer JM, Ferreira LS, Saldiva PHN, Buckeridge MS (2019) The role of air pollution and climate on the growth of urban trees. Sci Total Environ 666:652–661. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.02.291

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Medrano H, Tomas M, Martorell S, Flexas J, Hernandez E, Rossello J, Pou A, Escalona J, Bota J (2015) From leaf to whole-plant water use efficiency (WUE) in complex canopies: limitations of leaf WUE as a selection target. Crop J 3:220–228

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meena D, Singh H, Chaudhari SK (2011) Elucidating strontium response on growth dynamics and biochemical change in Phaseolus mungo L. Int J Environ Agric Biotech 4:107–113

  • Mondal D, Gupta S, Datta JK (2011) Anticipated performance index of some tree species considered for green belt development in urban area. Int J Plant Sci 2(4):099–106

    Google Scholar 

  • Pandey J, Pandey R, Shubhashish K (2009) Airborne heavy metal contamination to dietary vegetables: a case study from India. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 83:931–936

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pandey AK, Pandey M, Tripathi BD (2015) Air Pollution Tolerance Index of climber plant species to develop Vertical Greenery Systems in a polluted tropical city. Landsc Urban Plan 144:119–127

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Patel D, Kumar JIN (2018) An evaluation of Air Pollution Tolerance Index and Anticipated Performance Index of some tree species considered for green belt development: a case study of Nandesari industrial area, Vadodara, Gujarat, India. OJAP 7:1–13. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojap.2018.71001

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Paulsamy S, Sivakumar R, Latha N (2000) Evaluation of air pollution tree species in Coimbatore city. J Ecol Res Biocon 1:20–23

    Google Scholar 

  • Piper CS (1950) Soil and plant analysis. Waite Agricultural Research Institute Monograph, Adelaide

    Google Scholar 

  • Prajapati SK, Tripathi BD (2008) Anticipated performance index of some tree species considered for green belt development in and around an urban area: a case study of Varanasi city, India. J Environ Manag 88:1343–1349

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prasad BJ, Rao DN (1982) Relative sensitivity of a leguminous and a cereal crop to sulphur dioxide pollution. Environ Pollut 29:57–70

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rai PK (2016) Biodiversity of roadside plants and their response to air pollution in an Indo-Burma hotspot region: implications for urban ecosystem restoration. J Asia Pac Biodivers 9(1):47–55

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rajput M, Agarwal M (2005) Biomonitoring of air pollution in a seasonally dry tropical suburban area using wheat transplant. Environ Monit Assess 101:39–53

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Roy A, Bhattacharya T, Kumari M (2020) Air pollution tolerance, metal accumulation and dust capturing capacity of common tropical trees in commercial and industrial sites. Sci Total Environ. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137622

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Sadasivam S, Balasubramanian T (1987) Method of analysis of ascorbic acid in rolls. Practical manual in Biochemistry. TNAU, Coimbatore-14

    Google Scholar 

  • Sanchez-Chardi M (2016) Biomonitoring potential of five sympatric Tillandsia species for evaluating urban metal pollution (Cd, Hg and Pb). Atmos Environ 131:352–359

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sanders GJ, Arndt SK (2012) Osmotic adjustment under drought conditions. In: Aroca R (ed) Plant responses to drought stress: from morphological to molecular features. Springer, New York, pp 199–229. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-32653-0_8

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Sevik H, Ozel HB, Cetin M, Ozel HU, Erdem T (2019) Determination of changes in heavy metal accumulation depending on plant species, plant organism, and traffic density in some landscape plants. Air Qual Atmos Health 12:189–195

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Seyyednejad SM, Koochak H (2011) A study on air pollution effect on Eucalyptus camoldulensis. Int Conf Environ Biomed Biotechnol 16:98–101

    Google Scholar 

  • Shao HB, Chen XY, Chu LY, Zhao XN, Wu G, Yuan YB (2006) Investigation on the relationship of proline with wheat anti-drought under soil water deficits. Colloids Surf B Biointer 53:113–119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfb.2006.08.008

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sharma AP, Tripathi BD (2009) Biochemical response in tree foliage exposed to coal-fired power plant emission in seasonally dry tropical environment. Environ Monit Assess 158:197–212

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sharma RK, Agarwal M, Marshall FM (2008) Heavy metal (Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb) contamination of vegetables in urban India: a case study in Varanasi. Environ Pollut 154:254–263

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shparyk YS, Parpan VI (2004) Heavy metal pollution and forest health in the Ukrainian Carpathians. Environ Pollut 130(1):55–63

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Singh A (1997) Practical plant physiology. Kalyari Publishers, New Delhi

    Google Scholar 

  • Singh A (2020) Impact of air pollutants on plant metabolism and antioxidant machinery. In: Saxena P, Srivastava A (eds) Air pollution and environmental health. Environmental chemistry for a sustainable world, vol 20. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-3481-2_4

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Singh SK, Rao DN (1983) Evaluation of plants for their tolerance to air pollution. symposium on air pollution control. In: Proceedings of symposium on air pollution control. Indian Association for Air Pollution Control, New Delhi, pp 218–224

  • Singh SK, Rao DN, Agrawal M, Pandey J, Naryan D (1991) Air pollution tolerance index of plants. J Environ Manag 32(1):45–55

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singh H, Savita A, Sharma R, Sinha S, Kumar M, Kumar P (2017) Physiological functioning of Lagerstroemia speciosa L. under heavy roadside traffic: an approach to screen potential species for abatement of urban air pollution. 3 Biotech. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13205-017-0690-0

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Singh H, Sharma R, Savita SMP, Singh MP, Kumar M, Verma A, Ansari MW (2018) Adaptive physiological response of Parthenium hysterophorus to elevated atmospheric co concentration. Indian for 144:6–19

    Google Scholar 

  • Singh H, Yadav M, Kumar N, Kumar A, Kumar M (2020) Assessing adaptation and mitigation potential of roadside trees under the influence of vehicular emissions: a case study of Grevillea robusta and Mangifera indica planted in an urban city of India. PLoS One. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0227380

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Sinha S, Basant A, Malik A, Singh KP (2009) Iron induced oxidative stress in a macrophyte: a chemometric approach. Ecotoxicol Environ Safe 72:585–595

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sobhanardakani S (2019) Ecological and human health risk assessment of heavy metals content of atmospheric dry deposition, a case study: Kermanshah, Iran. Biol Trace Elem Res 187:602–610

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Socha N, Kandziora-Ciupa A, Trzęsicki BG (2017) Air pollution tolerance index and heavy metal bioaccumulation in selected plant species from urban biotopes. Chemosphere 183:471–482

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stephen RH, Ralf T, Marion P, Edgar CT, Reuben N, Robert M (2015) The relationship between leaf area index and microclimate in tropical forest and oil palm plantation: forest disturbance drives changes in microclimate. Agric Meteorol 201:187–195

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tak A, Kakde UB (2019) Evaluation of trace elements and particulate matter deposition on plant foliage exposed to vehicular pollution. Aasawari Acta Bot Croat 78:164–168. https://doi.org/10.2478/botcro-2019-0014

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tiwari S, Agarwal M, Marshal FM (2006) Evaluation of ambient air pollution impact on carrot plants at a sub-urban site using open top chamber. Environ Monit Assess 119:15–30

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tsega YC, Prasad AD (2014) Variation in air pollution tolerance index and anticipated performance index of roadside plants in Mysore, India. J Environ Biol 35:185–190

    Google Scholar 

  • Turkyilmaz A, Sevik H, Isinkaralar K, Cetin M (2019) Use of tree rings as a bioindicator to observe atmospheric heavy metal deposition. Environ Sci Pollut Res 26:5122–5130

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wawer M, Magiera T, Ojha G, Appel E, Kusza G, Hu S, Basavaiah N (2015) Traffic-related pollutants in roadside soils of different countries in Europe and Asia. Water Air Soil Pollut. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-015-2483-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wingler A, Roitsch T (2008) Metabolic regulation of leaf senescence: interactions of sugar signaling with biotic and abiotic stress responses. Plant Biol 10:50–62. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1438-8677.2008.00086.x

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yanyan YX, Jing H, Tang X, Li B, Shi GQ (2019) Using Transcriptome to Discover a Novel Melatonin-Induced Sodic Alkaline Stress Resistant Pathway in Solanum lycopersicum L. Plant Cell Physiol 60(9):2051–2064

Download references

Acknowledgements

The author is grateful to the Director, Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, for facilitating this study. The author is thankful to the anonymous reviewer for providing valuable suggestions to improve the manuscript's structure.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Contributions

The entire work, including conceptualization, measurements and investigations, data analysis, writing, editing, etc., of this manuscript, was performed by Hukum Singh.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hukum Singh.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Consent for publication

I give my consent to publish this manuscript in the journal "Tree-Structure and Function".

Additional information

Communicated by Buckeridge.

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Singh, H. An integrated approach considering physiological- and biophysical-based indicators for assessing tolerance of roadside plantations of Alstonia scholaris towards urban roadside air pollution: an assessment of adaptation of plantations for mitigating roadside air pollution. Trees 37, 69–83 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-021-02179-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-021-02179-8

Keywords

Navigation