Assesment of Air Pollution Tolerance Index of Higher Plants Suitable for Green Belt Development in East of Esfahan City, Iran

Development of a green belt with suitable plant species around the source of emission can mitigate the atmospheric contamination. Selection of such plant species are required to combat air pollution based on their tolerance level. Present study was undertaken to evaluate the tolerance level of higher plants in East of Esfahan city, Iran, during 2011 in terms of assessing Air Pollution Tolerance Index (APTI). Leaf extract of nine plant species showed elevated levels of pH, ascorbic acid, chlorophyll and relative water content. Stress metabolites like ascorbic acid and chlorophyll of certain plant species exhibits different levels of sensitivity and tolerance towards air pollution. Dust deposition on leaf surfaces was estimated to observe the extent of particulate deposition. The highest and the lowest deposition rates were observed in Morus alba and Cercis siliquastrum, respectively. Among the nine different plant species examined, APTI value is maximum in Morus alba suggesting its higher tolerance.