Effect of road side dust pollution on the growth and total chlorophyll contents in Vitis vinifera L. (grape)

Abstract

The effect of dust in Vitis vinifera L. on its pigmentation and growth was studied in 2012. Measurements were taken for plants in the Campus University of Balochistan, Quetta. A significant reduction in plant length, cover, number of leaves and total chlorophyll contents for V. vinifera L. was observed. The maximum reduction of all investigated variables such as plant length, cover, number of leaves and total chlorophyll contents on the fourth week of observation conform that long time accumulation of road side dust put long term savior effects on plant growth and its pigmentations. The results of this study also reveal that there is negative correlation between the amount of dust accumulation and plant growth parameters, as the amount of dust increased plant growth decreased, respectively.

Keywords: Dust, seedling growth, plant length, cover, number of leaves, and photosynthetic pigments

African Journal of Biotechnology, Vol 13(11), 1237-1242