Influence of ambient sulphur dioxide on chlorophyll

For the evaluation of the injury due to SO2 from Indraprashtha (IP) Thermal Power Plant, eight species of trees were selected. Experiment was divided in two sections. Section one include transplanted tree saplings of Bauhinia variegata, Delonix regia, Flcus benghalensis, Putranjiwa roxburghii, Morus indica, Polyalthia longifolia, Leucaena leucocephala and Tabernaemontana coronaria. Here one set of plants was transplanted to polluted site of IP and other set was maintained at non polluted site of Jawaharlal Nehru University (Ecological Nursery). Second section of the study have naturally growing trees of the same species in the vicinity of the transplanted plants. Findings of the present study show that tree species were not safe at polluted site. Maximum chlorophyll reduction occurred in Bauhinia variegata, that is 32.05% (transplanted saplings). In naturally growing trees up to 35.70% reduction was seen in B. variegata. (author). 11 refs., 2 tabs